Inland Empire
by Dixxy
Summary: Threats do not always come from outside. And when they don't... that's when they are the most dangerous ! An insidious harm is menacing the health of Jump City's inhabitants, and not a clue as to its origin... Two superheroes teams will have to unite their powers & weapons to find & destroy the cause of that mysterious evil... Will they make it ? Co-written wz Skychild101. N'JOY !
1. First thing first

**FANFICTION PRESENTS…**

… **A SKYCHILD101 / DIXXY STORY…**

… **FEATURING RAVEN, ROBIN, CYBORG, STARFIRE, BEAST BOY, JINX, SAM, CATHY, CHRIS & DANNY…**

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 _ **INLAND**_

 _ **EMPIRE**_

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 **(ZERO) _ FIRST THING FIRST…_**

 **Greetings, dear readers !**

 **Here's Dixxy writing… or, for those who remember my firstname, Léo. **v-sign****

 **Alright, this foreword's purpose is to give a lil' info about this fiction , & perhaps ya might find that info interesting, who knows… yet for those who don't like intros & forewords, they can skip this part & directly "jump" to chapter (ONE). I swear I won't feel offended the slightest. **** **cross fingers behind my back** ******

 **But for those who decide to remain glued on spot & prick up their ears, here's the stuff, so fresh that it's still moving :**

 **Authoress SKYCHILD101 & myself have been reciprocal long-time fans, her first MBC story being one of my first favorite stories on FF. So when she proposed me a collaboration, I decently couldn't refuse !**

 **She had never worked with anybody on a story, I had, only one time, but it didn't go well, yet I decided I could give it another try, just for the sake of her. & that's how this new project of ours started !**

 **So what is this all about ? Well, TEEN TITANS and MONSTER BUSTER CLUB being my favorite cartoons, I've had a crossover plan for quite some time now. In fact, after my female love story RAViNx, I had the intention to write two one-shots... & only after, that crossover. So it would have been published only next year, I guess, if SC101 hadn't proposed me to start it now.**

 **I decided to publish this in the TT archive rather than the MBC one, because I've been involved in TEEN TITANS for more than two years & don't feel like returning to MONSTER BUSTER CLUB before some time. Besides, the TT archive is far more interesting & dynamic than the MBC one (no offense intended to MBC fans, so put down those guns, guys…), especially since the latter lost some of their most gifted writers (notably SC101 & myself… XD…)**

 **About the plot… eh, ya'll find in time what it's exactly about, but one of the key elements to keep in the center of your lil' mind when reading this fic' is : threats do not always come from the outside ! & those which don't are evidently the most dangerous, the most pernicious ones…**

 **Before we start, I would like to dedicate this story. Yeah, that's an old habit of mine : each of my fictions is dedicated to one or more people. Well, this one will naturally be consecrated to my dear SKYCHILD101, who very nicely proposed me to collaborate on this, & had been so tremendously supportive of my work, year after year ! Thank you so much for everything, Ana ! You're definitely one of a kind ! It's been a pleasure to read your stories… & it's presently an honor to work with you on a common fic' ! **

**One word about Author's Notes : in my own chapters, which will be the odd ones (1,3,5…), the A/N will be notified by digits between parentheses, such as (1), and developed at the end of each chapter. As for SC101's system, in the even chapters… well', you'll see ! ;)**

 **Last point : you did notice that Jinx was included in the Teen Titans list, right before the story title. It's because, in thisfiction, she is part of the Titans. But unlike in RAViNx, she isn't OoC this time, and isn't in love wz anybody. Therefore, this story is sth totally new, not the continuation of RAViNx. Just saying.**

 **Right, I guess that time has come to keep my damn trap shut before ya guys fall off yr chairs from sleepiness. I therefore give it a rest & let ya start the "journey", first chapter being one of mine.**

 **Oh, and for reviews, ya should also send PM's to SC101, as it's her work just as it's mine !**

 **Okay, without further…**

 **N'JOY !**

 **)-(Dixxy / Léo)-(**


	2. 1 mission 2 teams !

**A/N : In this story, all characters' ages are between 15 and 18 years old. That may not make sense to some of ya… but hey, kind reminder : this is a work of** _ **fiction**_ **!**

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 **(ONE) _** _ **1 MISSION… 2 TEAMS !**_ **_**

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"Wooooah ! No way ! This is so totally cool !" exclaimed the spiked-hair teenager as he jumped out of the bus.

"All those big houses! It's nothing like Single Town ! You humans really have a taste for different kinds of housing. We don't have that back on Rhapsodia !" shrilled the small blonde as she stopped by her amazed friend.

"Well, Single Town, as its name indicates, is a _town_ , therefore a medium-size living area, while Jump City here, again according to its name, is a _city_ , and therefore a larger area with bigger buildings called 'skyscrapers'. That's one of the main differences between the two, Cathy." explained an indigo-haired boy as he joined the other two.

"Chris is right. American cities are known mostly for their skyscrapers, but you can still find houses the size of Single Town's in cities. I find this architectural intermix in our metropolis pretty fascinating, actually…" added an African-American female as she came to complete the foursome.

"Wooaaah wooaah wooaah ! How about stopping it right here right now with complex words, Sam ? We're on holiday here, remember ?"

That made the brunette girl snort as she gently shook her head.

"Ah la la, Danny, you really are allergic to even the tiniest bit of culture, aren't you ?" she teased.

The recipient of such derisive comment blew the speaker a raspberry, which had Sam roll her eyes to the sky.

 _When will that guy actually start maturing ? Hopefuly before 30…_

"Alright, so… let me check again…" said Chris as he focused on his Samsung. **(1)**

A few seconds later, his blue eyes lit up with understanding's sparkle.

"Right, the youth hostel is in the second on the left. Let those who love me follow me !"

Danny raised an eyebrow.

"Chris using humor ?!"

Sam gave him a lopsided smile.

"You thought you were the only one mastering humor, 'The Danny' ?" she mocked and, as she walked past him, gave him a sideways glance, still smirking.

The big mouth of the group frowned at the brunette and imitated a person constantly lecturing – "Gnagnagni, gnagnagna…" – before falling into his teaser's footsteps.

Cathy chuckled as she spotted her friend's upset reaction and brought up the rear, brightening up the day with her tinkling laugh.

Twenty minutes later, they were laying their bags in on the floor of two adjacent rooms, each proposing two beds to the tired young tourists.

Then they gathered in Sam's and Chris's room to have a collation all together.

"How much time did it take to get here ?" inquired the bubbly blonde, her eyes shifting from Chris to Sam and back to Chris.

"About three hours, I'd say…" tentatively replied the black teen before turning to her indigo-haired pal for confirmation, knowing he had all the data in his cell phone.

"In fact, two hours and forty-nine minutes, to be more accurate…" he specified.

"Not too long, eh ?" remarked the green-eyed boy before brushing his spiked hair.

They had finished their meal when Danny's face briskly livened up, giving away some sudden enthusiasm.

"Hey, how about we tested the A-scan in Jump City ? Maybe there are some aliens round here…"

Sam cleared her voice.

"I know we have the constant mission of protecting humans against naughty aliens' attacks, but this is supposed to be our holiday. So if we start it by using our mission's equipment… I know we have some of our MBC stuff with us here, "just in case" – she gave a knowing look to Chris, who gulped and looked away – but can we maybe start our stay here in a more relaxed way ?"

"…says the mission freak !" Danny daringly commented.

Cathy and Chris saw how Sam's eyes sent virtual daggers to her bold friend.

Things were just about to degenerate…

"Uh, guys, this is holiday, as Sam said, so please : NO bickering ! Come one, make peace !" begged the young alien as she looked at each in turns.

"Humpf… okay !" the brunette reluctantly let out, her tone and stare dripping with obvious vexation.

"Right !" Danny muttered on his side, no happier then the MBC leader.

"Hey, how about we went for a city tour now ?" proposed the freckled genius of the team, mostly to take his quarrelling friends' minds off their argument.

Cathy almost squealed upon hearing that.

"Oh yesyesyes ! Chris is right ! Pleasepleaseplease, let's go visit ! And after, I'll call my cousin and we'll meet downtown, and he'll be our guide for the rest of the day… hum, I mean : for the rest of the _stay_ !"

"Alright then" agreed Sam. "We will thank him for proposing us to come over. And reassure him regarding his impossibility to welcome us at his place : after all, house works are house works, so it's no big deal he can't have us over. But better make sure he doesn't brood over it and regret it too much. Chris, since you're the one with the plan, we follow you."

They got up from their sitting spots and were about to leave the room when…

 _BEEP ! BEEP ! BEEP !_

The tech of the team rushed for his bag and took out the A-Scan, whose warning light was frantically flashing red.

He consulted the screen of the detecting device, frowning.

"Alien in the city's outskirts, in a wood. Let me check the right spot, in relation to our current location… Mmmmh… Wolfram Wood **(2)** …It's something like 40 minutes on foot…"

"The alien will be gone by then ! And we don't know the public transportation good enough !

Oh, too bad we can't use this city's sewers to get there faster, like we did in Singletown…!" complained the blonde Rhapsodian.

The leader was assessing the situation, her hand supporting her chin, one finger across her lips. And she was about to speak up when her freckled teammate did.

"I knew I should take a few gadgets with me… and notably this one !"

And Chris pulled out a device of reduced size, which the others stared at.

"What is it ?" asked Sam.

"A teleportation unit. All we need to do is walk inside the blue circle that appears after programming the arrival location and pffft… we're transported over there !" proudly replied the geek.

"Way to go, Chris !" congratulated the African-American. "Let's switch to our uniforms already here. MBC, Power up !"

Each of them in turn uttered that same last sentence, and soon were the four teenagers in their mission outfits.

"Alright, ready for teleportation ! Let's roll !" concluded Sam.

"And that's how a great holiday gets spoiled from the start… Thanks a bunch, aliens !" Danny complained as he stepped inside the blue light, releasing a huge sigh…

The dark-skinned female gave him a look, rolled her eyes, yet didn't utter a single word, sighing as well, although more discreetly than her laid-back teammate.

The foursome got bathed in a blue aura, and seconds later, the room was empty…

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Robin's frown had been there for so long that it almost threatened to become permanent.

But when Boy Wonder was focused… he couldn't help frowning all the way !

He finally grabbed his left rook and moved it to the center of the line.

Raven smirked and immediately moved her bishop along the diagonal which crossed the whole chessboard, stopping it at the strategic spot she had found minutes ago.

"Check, Robin !"

The leader couldn't take it anymore.

"I take time to reflect to find the good moves, and you always play immediately. Damn, how do you do this, Raven ?"

"Force of habit. Practice makes perfect, they say. Your turn." she replied in her monotone.

"I can't believe it. I just can't. You're… you're _**too**_ gifted !" he exclaimed, partly with admiration, partly with upset.

"Thanks. Your turn." she droned on, flattered by his comment but not showing even the tiniest satisfaction about it, used as she was to control her feelings and emotions.

He mumbled away and focused hard on the chessboard.

"Dammit, can't I win even a single one ?" exclaimed another voice, in a different part of the room.

Cyborg looked at Starfire, defeated.

They had been having series of arm-wrestling contests, but despite the conjunction of Cyborg's natural strength with his mechanical power, the half-robot still couldn't outmatch the alien's otherworldly muscle power.

And although Cyborg was far less chauvinistic than Beast Boy, he couldn't help feeling bummed about losing _all_ of his physical confrontations with the Tamaranean.

Upon hearing her teammate's outburst, the latter stopped smiling and her face "dropped".

"I am so very sorry about your not winning any of our challenges, friend Cyborg ! Please accept my apologies for - "

"No no no !" he interrupted her. "Don't apologize, Star ! It's not your fault. You're just stronger because… well, because that's in your extraterrestrial genes, that's all ! And no one is to blame for their genes ! So it's alright, you're not guilty of anything !"

She stared at him tentatively.

"Are you… are you sure, Friend Cyborg ?"

He grinned wide, doing his best to conceal his slight upset at always losing.

"Definitely ! And I'll even accept one last arm-wrestling. Ready ?"

She felt comforted and grinned back.

"I am ready indeed !"

And each other seized the other's hand, Starfire hoping that her good friend wouldn't feel too sad if he lost again, Cyborg hiding his sigh and doing his best to resist the alien's outstanding strength.

"I'm gonna get back at you, Jinx ! I swear I will !" exclaimed another voice, still in another part of the common room.

"That's what we will see, Beast Toy !" answered a female voice with amused effrontery.

"Hey, stop calling me that, you witch !"

"Ah ah, yup, a witch, and proud to be one ! Now come on, just try to stop me !"

Jinx and Beast Boy were playing a basketball video game on console Wii. They were standing in front of the TV, at a reasonable distance of the screen, and used their Wii remote to pass the ball between players and shoot.

The pink-haired teen was playing barefoot, as she enjoyed taking her socks off and let her feet "breathe" freely. So she did it as often as she could.

However hard the shapeshifter tried, he couldn't outmatch the witch's speed and agility : she showed incontestable qualities of ball handling and a dazzling precision at shooting, even scoring from a distance… which especially drove her adversary mad, as he himself wasn't so fortunate at remote attempts and therefore envied her successful tries, which he called 'mere strokes of luck'.

She managed a particularly complex combination between her players and one of them shot the ball in direction of the basket, but from a great distance.

Beast Boy goggled, hoping she wouldn't have _that_ much luck that she would put it in from so far away.

But it turned out differently : another player of Jinx's was running towards the basket on the opposite side, the ball closing in so quickly…

… Jinx suddenly raised her remote to have her player leap in direction of the basket …

… she briskly brought her hand down, as if she wanted to knock something down…

…and the player grabbed the ball to make an awesome dunk !

Just at that precise second, the virtual referee whistled, indicating the match was over.

"102 to 78 ! Not bad, BB… No hard feelings ?" she asked him, stretching out her open hand to have him shake it.

He grumbled something, motionless, but finally reluctantly took her hand and gave her a handshake as unenthusiastic as possible.

Which made her giggle, and him frown even more.

Beaten by a _girl_ at basketball ! Speaking of shame…

Just then, Cyborg let out another scream of frustration.

"Okay, I've had my fill ! Sorry, Star, but I'm not doing any more arm-wrestling with you today… You're too strong… for a girl !"

The Tamaranean tried to apologize again but he didn't let her and ensured her that it was all okay, that it wasn't a big deal. But he couldn't help being a tad disappointed after concluding their session with no less than… **ZERO** victory !

And immediately following this was the final act of the chess play.

"You are checkmate, Robin !" said Raven as she released her queen.

He sighed and looked at her, powerless.

"Has someone ever told you that you're too gifted at chess ?"

She smirked.

"Well, _now_ , someone has. Thank you for the compliment. And I hope you will still be willing to take up the gauntlet, next time I propose you a play…"

He shrugged.

"Why would I refuse to ?"

"Well, I always win, so you might get tired of it…"

"No, Raven, I'm not tired of challenging you, even if I apparently can't beat you. It's still a pretty interesting game, and I appreciate how it forces me to ponder and analyze each move. It's a fascinating occupation, and I'm always in for another play."

Her smirk imperceptibly grew.

"Alright, then thanks for remaining interested."

"With pleasure !" he told her, flashing a smile as he rose from his chair.

Jinx came his way, grinning brightly.

"Who said girls were hopeless at basketball, eh ?" she said with irony.

"Hum…I think Beast Boy did…" Raven replied somewhat sardonically.

"And who won the game we just played, mmmmh ?" continued the witch.

"Guess it's you, given your immodest attitude…" answered this time Cyborg, who had come from the other side.

Starfire and Beast Boy joined the rest of the gang, the second one loudly claiming that Jinx had just had "too much luck" and that he would "get back at her" soon enough… which had the girl with the vertical pupils chuckle.

"Well, I never said girls couldn't beat boys at arm-wrestling, but I got punished just the same by Star, who won _every_ challenge we took… Isn't a 'boy day' today…" remarked Cy.

"Definitely not, since Raven also gave me another chess lesson. All girls are winning today. But as for me, I'm not that upset when they do : I'm absolutely opposed to the concept of so-called superiority of men over women. That's just moonshine !" explained Boy Wonder.

"Thank you for your valuing the human females as well, friend Robin !" cheered the red-haired alien.

"So what, Robin ? You're on the girls' side ?" the changeling said with indignation, frowning with his arms crossed, in the typical displeased attitude.

"No, I'm just saying that - "

"Oh, come on ! You're not gonna bicker to know who's superior, from men and women !" scolded Jinx. "We all can win, sometimes girls, sometimes boys, and there ! Don't make all a fuss of that, you're gonna tire us up with such pointless argument !"

"Totally concur. It's utterly pointless." agreed the empath. "Nobody is superior. We are different, and anybody can win. So let's not waste time with useless quarrels. We have better to do."

"Oh yeah ? Like what ?" questioned the green teenager.

Just then, the Titan alarm went off.

"Like kicking bad guys' butts !" replied Cyborg as they all hurried to the supercomputer.

The half-robot typed quickly, and soon a map appeared, with a flashing dot drawing everyone's attention.

"It's not exactly a bad guy, but a suspect presence. It says that the signal doesn't originate from a human. Maybe an alien ?"

"Where ?" simply asked the Caped Titan.

"In the Wolfram Wood **(2)** , east of Jump. But I can't get a visual, as there aren't any cameras in that area. We'll have to see the enemy by ourselves."

"That's not a problem." replied the young acrobat. "Titans, GO !"

And they all took off for another mission, this time in a city area they absolutely weren't familiar with…

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"Alright, so where do we head to ?" asked Sam, her gaze on Chris.

The young tech studied the A-scan to get an accurate location of the non-human being lurking in the surroundings.

"That way" he replied with a nod in said direction. "But static has just appeared on the A-scan, it comes and goes, so I'm not certain the A-scan will keep working until we reach the alien…"

"Bah, let's just go and see !" Danny said on his usual energetic tone, the one he often used while in mission.

"Exactly !" added Cathy with a grin.

Sam nodded and they set out towards their goal, as usual walking as quietly as possible.

While progressing through the trees, they ended up noticing the eerie silence that reigned in that desert place.

Not even bird chirps to attest of life.

"Isn't it too calm to you ? There is absolutely no sound around…" whispered the leader as they slowly moved forth, blaster in hand.

"Yeah, I had noticed that as well…" agreed the young Rhapsodian. "I was wondering if it was normal for an Earth forest to be so quiet…"

"Well, there normally always are at least birds singing in a forest... Absolute silence is actually really rare here on Earth, Cathy !" explained Chris to his extraterrestrial friend as he kept an eye on his scanner.

Danny didn't say anything, but he still reacted according to what he had heard : his grip tightened on the laser weapon.

Something definitely wasn't right about that place…

Suddenly, Chris stopped and so did his three teammates.

Peeking over his shoulder, Sam could see the screen of the A-scan… covered with visual interferences !

"The signal got lost…" announced Chris.

"Great, just great !" complained the spiked-hair teenager.

There was a short pause, then the leader turned to the freckled boy.

"How far exactly were we from the alien ?" she asked.

"Well, the screen was getting messier and messier as we progressed, but I would say we should be really close now…"

Another silence.

And then Cathy's eyes widened.

"Hide !" she whispered as she swiftly knelt down behind a nearby bush.

Nobody, not even Danny, felt like asking what the matter was : the urging tone of their alien friend made it clear now wasn't the time for questions. That would come seconds later, once all were concealed by the large bush.

"I heard noises in that direction…" she whispered in a rushed voice while pointing her finger.

"Ok. No more talking ! Be on the lookout !" ordered the black teen before focusing her senses on the other side of their "leafy shield".

Chris reached for his side pouch and pulled out a tiny device.

After a switch was pressed, it grew longer and evolved in a telescopic handle, with a part bearing a lens at one end and a small screen at the other end.

The indigo-haired boy lifted the long handle, so that the lens could face the other side of the bush, that the foursome couldn't see, and kept the screen in front of his face, observing it carefully.

"Caught" by the lens, a group materialized on the screen, walking just as cautiously as the MBC had been.

They stopped not far from the foursome's hideout and started checking their surroundings.

"Look ! Two of them are flying ! These are the aliens !" quickly whispered Danny.

"But there was only one alien signal, no ?" observed Cathy.

"There was. Which means there normally is only one alien. Unless perhaps… another one joined them ?" suggested Chris.

"Hum… this being said, if you take a good look at these persons, they almost all look like potential aliens. The one with green skin doesn't look exactly human. As for the half-robot half-human one… The only ones who look more or less human are that masked boy with the cape and that girl with the pink hair. But all the others could be non-humans, as far as I'm concerned…" explained Sam, frowning.

"So there could have been only one alien up to now, hence the unique signal, and the others joined short ago ?" proposed the alien member of the MBC.

"Yes, that would account for the sole extraterrestrial activity singled out by the A-scan" admitted the tech.

While the MBC team was busy exchanging opinions and remarks, the Teen Titans also were discussing… about the same thing : the mysterious signal.

"You lost track of the enemy activity, Cyborg ?" asked Robin.

"My sensors are experiencing interferences, therefore did I indeed lose it . But according to the previous readings, the enemy mustn't be too far right now…" replied the Titan Tech.

"Then we should be able to find that scum and kick his ass !" exclaimed Beast Boy.

"Hey, Bro', since when are you cursing ? That's more my domain, y'know ?" remarked Jinx, smirking.

"Bro' ? What does that mean ?" asked the naïve Starfire.

"It means 'brother'. And before you ask, Star, no, Beast Boy isn't Jinx's brother. It's just a nickname friends use when addressing each other. Now, could we **please** focus on the mission instead of getting astray from the real thing ?" Raven said in her monotone.

"Right. Let's just check our surroundings once more !" ordered Robin.

And they all observed carefully the wood around them, trying to make out any suspicious noise or movement.

But seeing nothing, they decided to continue just a bit further, in the same direction they had been walking to.

Back to the MBC, Danny was getting rather impatient, tightening his grip on the blaster.

"So what ? Do we bust these guys or not ?"

Sam gave him a stern look. She was always slightly upset about her energetic teammate's impatience.

Then she turned to Chris and Cathy.

"Although Danny's always so restless about fighting, I guess he's right : we'll have to battle these guys. They may well be an extraterrestrial alliance of some sort, here to try and take over the Earth, and we evidently won't let them carry out their plans."

She gave a panoramic look, catching each teammate's gaze, her eyes narrowed, fully focused.

"Are you ready ?"

They nodded in unison.

"Then… let's roll !" Sam ordered.

And they all swiftly stood up, weapon in hand, prepared for the confrontation…

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 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTES**_ _ **:**_

' **as he focused on his Samsung' : I admit it, I'm a fan of Samsung over Apple, and I'll even go as far as claiming there are too many I-Phones and not enough S4, S5, S6… And yet, I'm usually not one to make product placement in my stories ! But that's the exception to the rule, eh eh…**

' **Wolfram Wood' : this is my personal homage to Amy Wolfram, one of the TEEN TITANS' most gifted scriptwriters, to whom we notably owe the scenario of THE END PART I (one of my TT's fav's !)**

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 **And… CUT !**

 **That's it for chapter 1 !**

 **Kinda short, I know, but I didn't feel like writing much, ya know ?**

 **I usually start my stories with chapters of reasonable size… before possibly producing chappies of 9'000, 10'000… or even 12'000 words, at my maximum ! Yeah, I can be** _ **that**_ **mad, eh eh !**

 **So the Teen Titans and the Monster Buster Club are about to battle against each other… but what will come out of this ? Will someone get hurt ? Will they eventually manage to find the mysterious enemy ? (because, as ya probably guessed, that mysterious signal does** _ **not**_ **originate from any of the Titans… so there's someone else behind it !)**

 **Hope ya liked this introduction, and that ya'll continue reading. Fingers X.**

 **I'm handing the keyboard to Skychild101 now, for her to craft chapter 2, and I hereby wish her good luck with it !**

 **Next time : the TT-MBC fight !**

 **Stay tuned !**

 **Peace, Love, Ecstasy !**

 **(Dixxy)**


	3. Confrontations, Aliens and Introductions

**A/N:** **HELLO PEOPLE! IT IS I, SKYCHILD101, WHO IS DEFINITELY EXCITED TO WRITE THIS STORY WITH DIXXY! *ahem* but yeah. Um I don't think I have much to say given that Dixxy had already said everything that needed to be said, so I guess it's safe to say…without further ado, I give you the chapter you have been waiting for!**

 **(TWO)** _**Confrontations, Aliens and Introductions**_

The Titans continued walking. That was, until Raven stopped in her tracks and narrowed her eyes at a bush that had caught her attention.

She could've sworn that she had seen it _move._ Maybe it was just the breeze…? But the problem with that possibility is that there _wasn't_ any breeze…

She stared at the bush for a few seconds until she shrugged it off but no sooner had she resumed walking that the bush rustled again, and this time a group of people came out, all charged with weapons.

Raven immediately placed her shield around them, in order to avoid the weapons' rays.

Seeing this, Robin became alert and turned around to see his fellow teammate holding up a shield.

"Who's attacking us?" Robin asked.

"I…don't know." Raven replied as she struggled to keep the shield from being broken.

Robin narrowed his eyes and saw that the shield was going to give out soon. "Alright. When the shield is broken, we move."

"Roger that, Captain." Beast Boy said, saluting.

Jinx rolled her eyes. "Must you always give some kind of remark?"

"Must you always be so dull?"

She sneered.

Seeing that the shield wouldn't hold long, Robin quickly took out several of smoke pellets and threw them down just as the shield got broken. The MBC coughed when the mist came and Sam squinted her eyes in an attempt to see through the fog.

"Ugh, can't see." she commented.

"Whoever came up with this strategy must have a brilliant mind." Chris responded as he too tried to scan through the fog.

"Yeah whatever. Let's just try and find…these people." Danny said before he raised his blaster and readied it.

"Should we split up?" Cathy questioned.

"No. As it is fog, we might end up getting completely lost and hurt one another." Sam answered. "So be sharp, guys."

The group narrowed their eyes and began their search. However, it wasn't too long that a sudden _swoosh_ sound came, which alerted Sam. She quickly turned around but did not fire…just in case.

As they continued to walk, little did they know that something from high in the air was watching them. That something happened to be Cyborg and Beast Boy who was in the form of pterodactyl.

"Alright, BB. Do your thing." Cy whispered.

Even though he didn't see it, the half-robot knew Beast Boy nodded. And then, the green animal let go of his claws, Cyborg then free-falling.

"Maybe they're gone?" Chris suggested after a while.

"You kidding me? I bet you anything that they're using the _'let's hide and attack once the enemies are vulnerable'_ method." Danny responded.

"Hate to say it but I think Danny's right." Sam said.

And as if on cue, a voice shouted :

"Or maybe they are attacking you from above!"

The shadow started to appear on the ground, which made Sam wary.

At the last minute, the group rolled out of the way just as two metal hands smashed down at the ground.

Sam grunted when she fell to the side but she fired her weapon to attack Cyborg, who used his hand to block the attack.

"Ha, this is all you can do? I was expecting a real _fight_! Not some tango dancing." Cyborg remarked, grinning.

Irritated, Sam growled and picked herself up and aimed a kick at him. However, Cyborg instantly jumped in the air and out came Robin to take his place. He kicked Sam in the chest, but while he did, she pointed her blaster at Robin and released it.

As though in slow motion, Robin twisted his body to the side in order to avoid the yellow streak. It brushed past by his face by an inch. Noticing that she didn't succeed, Sam performed a kick as well. The two of them both got the hit, which sent them flying backwards and made them hit the ground with a _thud_.

"Ugh, get away! Get away!" Cathy screeched, flailing her arms around in an attempt to wack a flying green bat. "I hate bats!"

And she finally managed to smack the green blood sucker, which collided against a tree. It then slid down like a ragged doll, dazed. Beast Boy groaned as he changed back to a human.

Cathy cheered at her successful hit : "Haha, take that—aaaaah!" …only to have her victory come to a short end when a green bolt zoomed towards her. Using her alien power, Cathy stretched her legs out to the side to avoid the bolt.

The alien looked at the front to see that red-head again, except this time, instead of looking normal, her eyes and hands were both charged with green power.

"So uh I'm guessing you're not a human as I thought?" Cathy said before she started to avoid the shooting bolts.

Meanwhile, Danny narrowed his eyes while he was facing the pale human whom he had seen before.

"Bet you can't defeat me." he smirked.

"And you are already annoying." Raven remarked, causing the spiked-haired boy to frown.

"Hey!"

He then got his blaster out at the front but he didn't even got a chance to fire it since, within seconds, the object was encased in dark magic. It flew out of his hands and because of this, the fighter got a shock surprise look… before he too got covered with the same kind of power and was thrown away.

"Wow, that was exciting." Raven replied in her monotone and glided off to see if any else of her teammates needed help.

Jinx performed a flip in the air to dodge the oncoming attack from Chris, who then frowned. As they were fighting, he observed the young fighter's movements. She was very good in hand-to-hand combat, something which the genius wasn't great at.

"You know, the longer you take to fire an attack, the greatest advantage the enemy has." Jinx told him.

"Well, normally I wouldn't take _this_ long… if only you weren't so damn good!"

Jinx gave a small scoff. "Some fighters are just… _gifted_."

She then ran towards Chris and started to throw punches at him, trying to make him lose his balance so that she could use her powers to finish him off. The blue-haired just managed to block some of the punches but it wasn't until then that Jinx made her arms go between his, so that she could push them away to the side… and then the sorcerer went down to perform a side-sweep !

Chris grunted when he crashed on the ground.

"And if I were you, I would give up now."

"Why would we do that?"

And as if to answer his question, Chris felt something warm breathing on his head. Feeling the chill, it made his hair stand up !

He slowly turned around, after getting up, and eventually, found himself face to face with a…dinosaur !

Chris gulped, staring at the animal with wide eyes.

The T-Rex snorted and then let out a roar. He screamed, and Jinx used this chance to release her pink powers, which struck the fighter.

"Some people just have bad luck." the pink-haired girl said.

Having enough of this, Robin decided to take out his two birdarangs and he aimed them at his current target. The birdarangs twirled in the air and caught Danny, who was about to attack Raven, who had her back to him, and dragged him to a tree, pinning him to it.

"Hey! What the—" yelled the jock, struggling to get loose.

While he was trying to break free, the same thing had happened to the other members : they all had been neutralized !

"Lemme go!" exclaimed the red MBC member.

"No! Not unless you tell me who you work for!" Robin demanded. "Who _are_ you!?"

"Ha you will never find out because I'm not talking!" Danny responded, stubbornly.

Robin narrowed his eyes.

"I would start talking if I were you." Cyborg said.

"No!"

Robin raised one of his eyebrows until an idea came to his mind.

"Raven."

Raven sighed. "Do I have to?"

" _Yes_."

Just from this simple conversation, it made Danny raise an eyebrow. "Have to what?"

Raven stared at him for a bit before she pulled her hood down… only to have Danny scream !

"Okay, I'll talk! I'LL TALK!"

 **:(/\\):**

"I'll start off with an easy question." Robin began after a long silence. "Who are you?"

Chris, Danny and Cathy turned their heads to the side to look at Sam, who seemed to be staring at the floor, as though it was suddenly fascinating. Sensing that someone was staring at her, she looked up and saw that her friends were observing her with insistence.

"What?" she asked.

"Well, since you're technically the leader…" Chris started.

"Ugh, I told you. There are _no_ leaders in the club!" Sam exclaimed. "But anyways, I'm Sam. The blonde one is Cathy. The blue-haired boy is Chris and the annoying one is Danny. (Danny glared at her for the "insult"). We're just a group of ordinary people—well, _almost_ ordinary—who are in a club called the Monster Buster Club and judging by your looks, I'm assuming you have never heard of us, am I right?"

There were murmurs of "yes".

Sam took a breath. "Our purpose is to fight aliens and to protect our hometown, SingleTown, while it is also our job to protect the world."

"Why are you here?"

"At first, we came here for a nice relaxing vacation, but obviously that got turned upside down when one of our gadgets went haywire. Apparently, there was an alien in the Wolfram Woods so we decided to check it out. But as we did, we lost signal. Eventually, we found you."

"What do you do with the aliens?"

"We use a handy dandy gadget called the Vacuvator. This machine sucks the alien into this green container, and then we send them to the Intergalactic Prison through a tube we have at home." Chris stated as he pulled out the weapon.

Cyborg slid beside him to examine it. "Did you build that?"

"Yeap."

"It's nice to know someone who is handy with gadgets." Cyborg replied, shaking his hand.

Starfire glided towards Cathy. "Where do you come from? What is your favorite color? Do you wish to be my friend?"

"Um… Rhapsodia. Pink. And sure!" she exclaimed.

Star gasped. "Hello new friend!" she said, pulling Cathy into a tight hug.

"Ugh, Cathy. We're here to find the alien. Not make new friends. We don't even know who they are." Sam said.

"Aw." Cathy reacted, upset.

"Speaking about _you_ , who are _you_?"

Robin crossed his arms over his chest while wearing an unreadable expression. "We're the Teen Titans. Just like you guys, we protect our city from mad men. I'm Robin, the leader of the group. The red-head is Starfire (Starfire waved). The half-robot is Cyborg—he is our Tech guy."

"Really?" Chris asked, delighted by the info.

"Yeap. Why in fact, I built a car straight from scratch."

"Cool!"

"The purple-cloaked is Raven."

Raven gave a little nod.

Danny muttered under his breath.

"The green one is Beast Boy and the one with the pink hair is Jinx."

"Why did you come to the Woods?"

"Our alarm set off so we decided to check it out."

Cathy scrunched her face as though she was thinking and gasped. "Oh! What if we worked together to capture the alien!?"

"Uh…I don't know…" Sam trailed off.

"We know so little about you and vice versa." Raven said. "Our ways of fighting are different than yours."

Sam blinked. "That's…exactly what I was going to say!"

"Oh, forgot to mention : Raven can read minds." Robin pointed it out.

"Yeah, way to state the important information last. Thanks, _Robin_." Danny said.

Sam nudged him. "Excuse him. He can be a little bit of an idiot."

"We can relate." Raven eyed the green one who was talking to the blue-haired boy.

"We need to find out who or what this alien is… and find out his plan." Robin stated, walking towards the computer.

"Is that the big screen pad?" Chris asked, gliding beside him.

"Um, yes."

"Awesome!" he replied, his eyes shining with delight.

"Don't mind him. When it comes to technology, he's a complete geek." Danny stated.

Chris gave a glare at him. "Since you don't really know what you're looking for, why don't I help?"

Robin gave a small shrug. "Sure."

"You play video games?" Danny asked after he went through a pile of games.

"Yeap." Beast Boy asked. "Do you?"

"From time to time—no way! You got the latest game?"

"Yeap."

Raven rolled her eyes. "Can I throw you off the roof and say it was an accident?" she muttered as she walked past them.

Sam smirked. "I like you already, Raven."

 **A/N:** **Sooo yeah, another long chapter ^^ …which I hope it will be sufficient for you. Like Dixxy said, he will also be working on his "RavInX" while I will also be working on my Teen Titans series. I'm currently on season eight and just finished writing chapter 3, so yeah…I don't really know the updating schedule, eh ! But yeah…so toodles!**

 **(Skychild101)**


	4. Socializing and Inquiring

**Howdy, dear readers !**

 **Here's Dixxy, back to pick-up where my dear co-writer, Skychild101 (SC101), left off !**

 **So…almost three weeks have passed since last update… Sorry for that, it's all because I've been working on my main ongoing story 'RavInX', which takes so much of my time. I had told SC101 that I needed to update that story first before returning to INLAND EMPIRE, and since I published my latest 'RavInX' yesterday… I can finally get back to this one !**

 **Right, so wzout further ado (delayed it enough already, eh ! XD)… here we go again !**

 **N'JOY !**

 **:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

 **(THREE) _ SOCIALIZING AND INQUIRING _**

 **:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

Starfire was happy beyond the conceivable !

She had asked Friend Robin, and Friend Robin had accepted !

And her gratitude knew no boundaries for his agreement !

"I'm soooo happy that our new friends from the Monster Buster Club get to stay in the Tower !" she gleefully exclaimed as she made a loop in the air in front of Robin.

The Titan leader smiled as he witnessed the alien's exuberant enthusiasm.

"Well, it's good to have allies, Star, plus they look like interesting and nice people. Samantha told me that they would be glad to spend more time with us, and that should we need help to locate some alien, even with all our technological gear… they would be happy to lend a hand !"

Then he walked back to the common room with her and, after everybody had gathered in front of him, he cleared his voice.

"Team, I have a proposal to make about the Monster Buster Club. Starfire has had this idea…"

An hour later, Cyborg, whom Robin had given the address of the bed and breakfast where the MBC had taken up residence, was back with the four teenagers from Singletown.

"Welcome back !" greeted Boy Wonder as they entered the main room.

"Cyborg told us that you wanted to see us… but that we should come with our backpacks ?!" half-said, half-asked Samantha.

"Yes. That's because, after discussing all together, we agreed on this point : that we should invite you to the Tower. And that you remain here with us during your stay in Jump City. That will allow you to spare money, instead of spending it for the bed and breakfast, and we'll get to know each other better. And it would also be possible to share our respective informatics and technical knowledge : we could initiate you to our training sessions, and you could show us how your weapons function. How about that ?" proposed Robin.

The Famous Four certainly weren't expecting that. To be hosted by the local superheroes… yet it was way flattering, and difficult to refuse.

"Well, I guess nobody will vote against that offer. Right ?" spoke up the Singletown leader.

And as she ended her sentence, Samantha quickly eyed her three teammates.

"Oh, that's just _zbarmlig_ !" yelled Cathy, grinning as wide as she could.

Seeing the numerous eyebrows raised, she sheepishly laughed.

"Hum, eh eh… that's Rhapsodian for : super !"

"Ah…!" replied a still perplexed Jinx, scratching her head thoughtfully.

And her answer was more or less the expression of everyone around, who were still slightly disconcerted by that curious alien girl who dazed them just as much as Starfire did.

"Well, I'd say yes… except for the training part ! We're on vacation, so…" Danny reminded them.

"Ah yes, right…" admitted Boy Wonder, who had indeed forgotten about that "detail", and wondered how he could bring up the "mutual assistance" between teams, now…

"But as for me, I would be glad to explain you our weapons' operating. And I would be just as glad to know more about your supercomputer and other devices here !" enthusiastically commented Christopher.

"We're on the same page then !" exclaimed a visibly pleased Cyborg.

"Geeks…" muttered Beast Boy.

"Watch your tongue." calmly yet firmly warned Raven.

The changeling glanced at her… and, seeing her slightly menacing gaze, he sweatdropped.

"Eh eh… uuuh… okay…" he faltered, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head.

"So, I take it you all agree to stay here ?" Robin asked for formal confirmation.

"You've got four YES and zero NO. Does that answer your question ?" replied Sam, grinning.

"Crystal clear !" indicated Jinx, making a circle with her thumb and forefinger.

"Oh Joy ! We have new Friends in the Tower ! What a glorious day !" shrilled the Tamaranean, childishly clapping her hand and stretching her mouth as much as she could.

They all smiled at her ingenuous excitement.

 **:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

Christopher and Cyborg got along just fine, endlessly chatting about technology, while Cathy and Starfire chewed the fat, each one explaining what life was like on their respective planet, and Danny made a point of honour in showing Beast Boy and Jinx that he was the best at virtual basketball.

As for Sam, she had been taking a look at the criminal files and sharing fighting experiences with Robin. But while he was busy making a couple of phone calls, she chose to have some time off and prepare herself a cup of tea.

Once in the kitchen, she found the herbal tea in a cabinet and, curious to taste that new variety she had never heard of, decided to go for it.

Just as she was turning around with her steaming mug, ready to leave the kitchen, her gaze met Raven's, who had silently entered (floating instead of walking) to do exactly the same as Sam and was standing a short distance behind the foursome's leader, quietly waiting for her turn.

Surprised by that unsuspected and unexpected presence, given that she couldn't hear the Azarathian coming, the young African-American female jolted, and her cup's content unfortunately splashed over her hand.

Sam screamed and winced at the acute pain of the burn, hurrying to set her mug down on the counter.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have stayed silently behind you like that. I just wanted some herbal tea… but I should have made my presence known, so as to avoid scaring you. Sorry, Sam." the empath regretfully said.

"It's… it's nothing… really…" the yellow MBC member replied painfully, as she held her hand over her aching injury.

"Let me see your hand, please !"

"It will be okay… don't worry…"

Raven didn't reply but merely touched the wound.

Her hand glowed white for a few seconds, then everything was back to normal.

The Dark Titan took a step back and looked at Sam, whose eyes had widened a tad.

"Are you feeling better ?" she asked her new friend.

The black teen, who was staring at her hand, raised her eyes at the cloaked girl, then looked at the previously sore spot again.

"The pain… it's gone !"

The yellow gaze met the purple one again.

"Thank you, Raven ! I didn't know you had healing powers."

The addressee gave a small smile, but as she spoke on, regained a deadpan composure.

"No problem. Yes, healing is part of my powers. As an empath, I can also feel others' emotions and interpret them. For instance, I can tell when someone is lying, or hiding something. And I have telekinetic abilities too, which you certainly noticed during our fight in the wood. There are other powers as well, such as opening portals between dimensions… but I don't want to go too much into detail. That might bore you."

Sam energetically shook her head.

"No, definitely not. That's really interesting ! Why would it bore me ?" she protested.

Raven's smile reappeared.

"Thank you. I will make myself some herbal tea. I always drink some after meditation."

Sam immediately stepped aside to let the Azarathian access the cabinet.

"Hum, yes, naturally." the MBC leader apologetically said.

As she was preparing her cup, Raven glanced at the steaming one her new friend held.

"By the way, you've prepared yourself herbal tea as well, right ? Do you like it ?"

Sam looked almost sheepish.

"Hum, I haven't tasted it yet… let me try…"

She sipped some of the hot beverage and let her taste buds do their job.

"Eh, it's good ! I like it !"

And her yellow eyes were sparkling with pleasure as she spoke it up.

"Glad you like my tea. My teammates don't drink tea, except for Jinx, but she prefers another variety, so this one is kind of "reserved for me", in a sense…" explained the Goth.

"Oh, it's _your_ tea ! Sorry I helped myself to it, then ! If I had known, I would ha-"

But she interrupted her sentence as she saw the grey raised hand.

"Nothing to apologize about. Although I'm the only one drinking it, and although I mentioned it was "reserved for me", everybody can actually drink it. So it's just fine, really."

Sam gave a grateful smile, and both girls moved to the lounge, where they sat at the table.

"And… please excuse my curiosity, but you mentioned 'meditation' before. Robin told me that's why you were absent, and that you meditated every day. I guess that's why you're always so calm, right ? You have acquired an impressive control over yourself, as far as I could tell from the little time I've known you. In fact, I can hardly imagine you angry…"

Raven sipped her tea before answering.

"I meditate because I _**have to**_ , not because I feel like doing it that often. Naturally, I learned to appreciate the quietness that goes with it, but I probably wouldn't do it that often willingly. I am _forced_ to do it, in order to keep my emotions under control." Raven's eyes lowered to her cup and remained stuck there, not looking at Sam as she continued : "I'm not entirely human, as you probably could tell from the colour of my skin. While my mother was earthling, my father was a demon lord, which makes me half-demon. And with that dreadful genetic heritage comes emotional instability… with a particularly high risk of… let's say, "wrath explosions" ! If those happen… it can range from massive destruction to widespread killing ! And I evidently can't let such an horror take place ! That's why I have no choice, but do all I can to keep my emotions in check. And meditation is a great help in that. I cannot guarantee than nothing bad will happen if I meditate, but there are far less risks if I do."

Sam pondered what she had just been told, before expressing her sympathy to the half-demon.

"So you are under a constant emotional constraint, as I understand… Gosh, that's quite a burden to live with ! I'm sorry to hear that you have to deal with such an obligation."

Raven briefly smiled.

"Thank you for your solicitude, Sam."

"Don't mention it !" the African-American concluded with a grin.

Both teens continued to sip their teas, alternating silence and discussion, and basically enjoying each other's presence, as well as their new friendship.

 **:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

On that Monday, Titans and MBC reciprocally exposed their personal powers and their weapons' abilities, appreciating to share all that stuff, which helped them get to know each other better, as well as the team's assets for crime fighting.

And on Tuesday, additionally to these same activities, the MBC also attended two different Titan training sessions, during which the Singletown crew could admire the skills of the Jump City's upholders of the law.

They were all pleased with those nice two days… until the evening news bulletin on Tuesday !

"The Health Department of Jump City has announced today a sudden number of peculiar cases involving exhaustion. About 39 persons have already been on consultation for the past three days. All present similar symptoms of extreme fatigue the following day. Drugstores have therefore noted a significant increase of sleep medication on the physicians' prescriptions. The police have been informed of these facts and have announced that an investigation would be conducted in collaboration with health services and physicians."

"Man, what's that new stuff ?" asked a bewildered Beast Boy.

"First time I hear such a crap…" confessed Jinx. "Is someone using a kind of machine to absorb people's energy during their sleep or what ?"

Chris pondered the details of the piece of news he had just been listening to.

"They said it had been happening for the past three days… So it all started on Saturday, right ? Which means, on the day we met. Which was when we got that alien alert in Wolfram Wood. Could the two things be related somehow ?" he said.

"Dude, that alien alert was linked to Starfire, not to a monster ! So it's got nothing to do with those pooped folks !" Danny said.

The blue MBC member frowned.

"Well, can we be sure it was Starfire who caused the alert ? Because the signal got lost and the sensors of the A-scan screen got these interferences some time before we came across the Teen Titans. So what if the signal originated from a different source and we couldn't determine where that source was ? And in that case… it could indeed be a monster or some mastermind lurking in the wood at the time, and which we couldn't discover because of our fight with the Titans."

Sam was rubbing her chin in the typical thoughtful attitude.

"Alright, but if there was another alien, why didn't you get two signals on the A-scan : one for Starfire and one for the unknown being hiding over there ?" she objected.

The freckled teenager reflected on the problem for only a few seconds before coming up with an answer.

"It may be because the Teen Titans hadn't arrived yet, or weren't close enough at the time for the A-scan to pick-up Starfire's presence, hence leaving only the monster's signal."

Cyborg's eyes lit up.

"We actually also got an alert from Wolfram Wood. It mentioned a 'suspect presence' of unknown origin, but we couldn't get a visual. And when we all befriended, and I learned that Cathy was an alien, a…Rhapsodian, right ? (Cathy nodded vigorously to indicate his being correct)… well I assumed it was her that had triggered the alert. But we also lost the signal some time before brawling with you. And, just like Chris said, the signal could also belong to another entity hiding close-by, while Cathy's presence hadn't been detected because you guys weren't close enough. So, how can we be sure there wasn't _**really**_ a monster or a fishy presence in Wolfram Wood while we all were in there ?" the half-robot detailed.

There was a moment of silence, all being busy cogitating on a solution to the problem.

Finally, it was Raven who came up with a proposal.

"These interferences Cyborg and Chris's A-scan experienced were produced by the origin of the signal which both our systems detected. So either the origin of the alert is a monster, or it's Starfire and Cathy simultaneously. And there is a simple way to check if our friends disrupted our tracking devices : it's to test these on Star and Cathy, right now ! And if nothing special happens, if there is no disruption… then we will know for sure that there actually WAS an hostile presence in Wolfram Wood that day !"

"Bravo, Raven ! Well thought and said ! Let's do it !" congratulated Robin, putting his fist up t shoulder height, in a gesture of pure determination.

Chris took the A-scan out and held it in Starfire's direction, while Cyborg set up his radar and checked its reading as he observed Cathy.

"Nothing wrong with the A-scan. No interferences." commented the indigo-haired boy.

"And same goes with my sensors : all clear !" added Cyborg.

"Then we weren't the cause of the problems ! Cool !" yelled the pink MBC member.

"I am so relieved that we did not cause anything bad because of our alien origins. That is most joyful, is it not, Cathy ?"

"Definitely !" concluded the blonde teen as she briefly stretched her arms in a typical Rhapsodian way of celebrating a victory.

"That means… that there _really_ was a monster in Wolfram Wood while we were there !" Sam reasoned. "It naturally fled when he heard the din of our battle. And if a bad guy was around that day, on which the exhaustion issues began, then…"

"…it could well be him the cause of that problem !" completed Raven after Sam had left sentence purposefully unfinished, having guessed the girl's thought rather than read it with her empathic power.

"So what's next ? Do we try to track down the bastard or do we first try to find out what he did exactly to the victims ? Maybe we could find clues if we do the second thing… first !" proposed Jinx.

"The _second_ thing _first_ … ah ah ! Way to go, Cat's Eyes **(1)**!" mocked Beast Boy.

"Why don't you shut your garbage lid, giant pea ?" caustically retorted the Badlucker.

"Hey ! Watch your mouth, Pinkie !" indignantly exclaimed the morpher.

No talking back from her, this time… but a mere gesture : she blew him a raspberry !

The green boy's face turned into a mask of wrath.

"You little -"

"Alright, alright, bickering ends here and now !" cut Robin, raising his hands in the typical placation attitude. "We've got better to do than quarrel !" He paused. "I think Jinx is right : we should try to determine what exactly affected the victims, and if there could be side effects or unwelcome consequences."

"But to do that we will need to convince health services or physicians to let us access medical data from the exhausted patients. And as you know, there's patient confidentiality…" remarked Raven.

Another pertinent input from the empath.

They all were thoughtful for a short while, until…

"How about we try to hack into the medical data ?" proposed Jinx.

"What ? We can't do that ! It's protected and all !" almost screamed Danny.

"Yeah… but guess what ? We have Cyborg here who is a master at computer manipulation !" continued the Pink Witch.

"And I'm sure Chris could lend a hand. Right, Chris ?" added Sam.

"Well, that'll be everything but a cinch, yet… we can try !" hopefully replied the MBC Tech.

"Cool !" shrilled Cathy.

"Not easy indeed, but with two brains like ours… BOOYAAAH !" confidently uttered the Titan Tech.

"Glorious !" concluded Starfire.

 **:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

Christopher and Cyborg spent hours working on the supercomputer… but they finally managed to access several physicians' patients data, bypassing various firewalls and cracking a number of passwords codes !

Then they individually proceeded to intently read the info relating to patients suffering from physical draining during the past three days.

The common point between all the people in consultation was a great physical fatigue the following day… and also a strange sensation of emptiness, as if they had been deprived of something.

After further reading, it turned out that, after seeing a few patients presenting the same symptoms of exhaustion, and who all mentioned great difficulties to wake up, some of the doctors had decided to contact the hospital to know if they had also had any cases of physical draining lately.

And indeed, they had had several.

Three of these victims had had brain injuries – yet no coma - and the hospital had been running electroencephalogram tests on them these past nights. Then all three had woken up the next morning with great difficulty and shown signs of extreme tiredness… and all three also mentioned the same curious sensation of vacuity, as if they were missing something…

The analysis of the three electroencephalograms results had then confirmed the absence of an element related to sleep.

After working each in solo for a long, long time, they finally decided to compare their data, the results and their respective opinions about these.

And although it could have sounded less bad than they dreaded, they still felt an unexpected shiver run down their spin as they came to the same conclusion…

 **:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

Titans and MBC were all gathered in the common room, some sitting on chairs, some on the couch, and some levitating.

In front of them, the two technology specialists were standing almost awkwardly, a vague concern haunting their features. Therefore not devastated, but clearly not serene neither.

"So what were the results of your search ? Did you find anything ?" asked the black leader of the Singletown squad.

"Hum… we did…" slowly replied Chris, who rapidly glanced at Cyborg.

The latter mistook that quick eyeing him for an invitation to pursue, so he took over.

"We discovered that, after seeing a few really spent patients who all presented the same symptoms and gave exactly the same feedback about their conditions, some physicians decided to liaise with the hospital, to try and see if they also had had cases… which they had !"

The cybernetic teenager paused, and the freckled genius continued.

"Three of the hospital victims were being run electroencephalograms on during the night preceding their great fatigue, and it turned out that the results of these electroencephalograms tests all gave the same indication…"

"Alright, alright, why don't you cut to the chase, Chris ?" interrupted Danny. "Instead of using those long complicated words no one knows about…"

"Sounds like Beast Boy…" ironically said Jinx after snorting.

The changeling was about to counter-attack when he met Robin's serious stare on him. So he only glared at her, and she teasingly winked at him, smirking.

"So what were the results of your analysis ?" asked Boy Wonder.

"The patients, be it at the doctor's offices or in hospital, all had mentioned, apart from fatigue, a strange sensation of vacuity, of emptiness, as if they were missing something. And the electroencephalograms confirmed that impression, as they showed the absence of a characteristic element of sleep…" explained Cyborg, still delaying the final conclusion a tad more.

"And this element is…" Chris began, then took a panoramic look at the whole group gathered in front of them and literally hanging onto the techs' every word, and he finally took a deep breath as he exhaled the truth in a quick rush of air : "These people do not dream anymore."

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 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTE**_ _ **:**_

 **Cat's Eyes : that nickname originates from the title of a popular Japanese cartoon series, manga-style, starring 3 women of different ages, who run a café during daytime… but are cat burglars at night ! Used to watch it as a kid, during weekend evenings… Nostalgia, nostalgia… :P**

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 **Suspense, suspense…**

 **The duet of techno-guys made an important discovery there : no more dreaming for those three patients, as per their electroencephalograms results. Hence that curious feeling of vacuity, since humans dream** _ **every**_ **night (even if they often fail to remember that they did, and what their dreams were all about) ! And since the other victims all mentioned the same sensation of emptiness… it is quite certain that** _ **they**_ **also stopped dreaming !**

 **So what's the link between the mysterious origin of the alien alert in Wolfram Wood and that odd disappearance of dreams ?**

 **What measures will our two hero teams take ? What plan will they come up with to solve the problem ? Where to start ?**

 **The replies, you'll find… IF you keep on reading ! So... a bit of patience, a few guesses on your side before truth shows the tip of its nose, and you'll find out… maybe. XD**

 **Anyway, hoped ya liked this new chappy, and if anyone cares to review… SC101 and I definitely will love her / him ! :P**

 **Now's the time for Skychild101 to get the mike back for chapter 4. Let's see what she'll "cook" us up… ;)**

 **Back at ya, Ana !**

 **Peace, Love, Ecstasy !**

 **(Dixxy)**


	5. A showering silence

**A/N:** ….I'M SO SORRRYYYYY FOR NOT WRITING MY PART IN A LOONG TIMEE ARGHHH. I'VE BEEN SO DAMN BUSY WITH COLLEGE AND I LITERALLY HAD NO BREAK FROM HOMEWORK SINCE IT WAS ALWAYS ONE THING AFTER ANOTHER. BUT, I have little homework today so I'm able to write =D anyways, I'll shut up and let you guys read ^^

 **(FOUR) A Showering Silence**

Everybody in the Tower stood there with shocked faces. There was a thick silence and Raven finally managed to break it.

"What do you mean "people can't dream anymore?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Exactly what I just said. People can't dream anymore. Literally. It's like something had been…" Chris paused, trying to find the right word.

" _Erased_." Cyborg finished.

"Well it wasn't the word I was looking for but I guess it would do."

"But who's behind all this?" Robin asked.

"Anyone with a crazed up mind can pull this off with the right tools." Beast Boy responded.

"Hate to say it but Beast Boy's right." Jinx responded.

"I'm _always_ right." Beast Boy commented.

"Yeah when you are actually using your brain." Raven replied, making the green one scowl. This earned a few chuckles from Sam and Jinx who smirked at him.

"I think what we need to do right now is to continue scanning the city. And to also keep on a lookout for…whatever is causing this." Robin responded, cutting off Beast Boy who was about to make a remark. He then turned his attention to the two enchantresses. "Jinx and Raven, since you two are the best at magic, maybe it would help if you could look into your spell books to see if this is a spelling effect."

The two girls nodded.

"And as for the rest, I guess we could do a little patrol around the city." Robin replied.

"Yeah, a slight problem on that…what is 'to patrol' ?" Danny asked.

 **:(/\\):**

Raven sighed, an exasperated sigh. "This is hopeless. Robin gave us a task that not even _**we**_ can figure out."

Jinx eyed her fellow sorceress for a minute before going back to the old book she was currently looking at.

"Or maybe you need to be a bit patient…which we both know is something you aren't." the pink haired witch drawled.

Raven glared at her. "Are we supposed to know that this…villain is even using a spell? What if he isn't using one at all?"

"Something called research? And oh look, that is _exactly_ what we're doing right now!" Jinx huffed a little, being a bit annoyed by Raven's lack of patience. "Seriously, take a chill pill and we will eventually figure this out. You guys always do."

Raven narrowed her eyes. "Well, you seem awfully…relax about this !"

"It's simple. If you're impatient, you obviously won't get anywhere, whereas if you have patience and time, you'll eventually figure out whatever the situation may be."

Raven rolled her eyes before giving her undivided attention to her book. "Isn't someone being the wise one here…"

Jinx gave a little shrug. "Someone just taught me a few things…"

Raven smirked, knowing _exactly_ who Jinx was talking about.

A little while passed and the room was consumed by silence, as the two were much focused on their books—even though almost all books were Raven's.

A sudden slam interrupted the silence, startling Jinx. She raised her eyes to the Goth.

"I'm going outside for fresh air." she stated.

With that, the sorceress exited the room.

 **:(/\\):**

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos…"

The young sorceress chanted her magical words. If someone had heard her say those sacred words, they would have thought they were some gibberish.

But to her…to _her,_ it means something. Those words are important to her.

And they always make her feel…calm.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos…"

The young empath took a breath before opening her eyes. Soft breeze blew past her, making her bangs dance. Her eyes stared ahead, watching the sun setting.

The sunset always calms her…

It feels so soothing…so…so… _serene._

She loves it when the rays of the setting sun beat down on her, warming her body, which sometimes gives her a bit of a chill.

She just simply loves the sunset.

" _People can't dream anymore."_

The sound of Chris's voice echoed inside her mind, interrupting her peaceful state. Just thinking about that sent shivers down her spine, which was odd, because she was usually the one able to handle creepy things. But just that simple sentence gave her a chilling feeling…an _ominous_ feeling.

But what could cause this? _Who_ would cause this? Did the mysterious villain hate the human kind so much that it _had_ to do this?

Raven unconsciously tightened her grip. She was still mad at herself for being unable to find anything from her spell books…but then again, how _**could**_ she? With so little information, there was _nothing_ tofind!

Sometimes, she wonders if Robin actually _knows_ what he is doing…or if he is insane!

 _Thanks, Robin…for giving Jinx and I an impossible task to complete!_

She gave out a sigh. As she was about to close her eyes again, she instead opened them wider since something had just caught her attention.

The empath stared out in the distance before uncurling herself from her current position and continuing to observe carefully.

She had this feeling…a feeling that something bad was about to happen… and she naturally didn't like it one bit.

Raven continued to stare out in the distance, eyes narrowed, feeling that the sun might be about to disappear.

Just then, something started to appear in the sky.

Raven wasn't sure what it was because of the shine being so bright. She squinted her eyes to see that several things were falling from the sky… and it also seemed to be heading towards her!

Raven froze in her spot—not from fear. The falling pieces fell and fell until they eventually reached Raven's face, showering it. The once violet eyes that held a sparkle were now lifeless…

 **:(/\\):**

A sudden _whoosh_ came from the dark alleyway. Someone started to walk, but only after a few inches did that someone come to a halt.

"We have spent _hours_ patrollingand obviously, nothing out of the ordinary happened. Shouldn't we say that it's about time we go back?" a voice in the dark complained, groaning a bit.

The white eyes close by in the shadows gave a narrowed look.

"Forgive Danny. He has nothing better to do than complain." another voice, a female one, stated.

The one with the white eyes said nothing but continued to move forward until he stopped as though he remembered something.

"Must you have suits that light up?" he asked, slightly irritated.

"How else are we supposed to see in the dark?" Danny asked.

Even though they were in the dark, Robin could guess that the red MBC member was rolling his eyes.

"Well for one, it's distracting and for two, it doesn't make a good camouflage. If you want a sneak attack on your enemy, you're going to have to lay low."

"What's _his_ problem?" Danny muttered.

"You'll find that Robin is always too serious about crime fighting. So him being serious and moody is nothing new." Beast Boy replied.

"Well, we can relate..." the red fighter murmured.

Sam glared at him.

"What _I_ think we should do is head back to the Tower and call it a day. We're all tired from the patrol." she stated.

"I'm not tired…I'm just worried that nothing strange had happened yet…everything is too…quiet." Robin stated.

"I know what you mean." Sam replied while listening to the deathly silence. "But you're only human, Robin. You **need** sleep. I know you're tired…you just don't want to admit it." She then walked closer to him, whispering the last sentence : "I know how it feels to always be the stronger one in your team. Trust me, I _know_."

"I'm not really tired." he protested. But then came a yawn that made the African-American raise an eyebrow as she smirked. "Okay, maybe a little." he admitted.

"Come on."

The group eventually started to walk back, but just then, something caught Robin's attention, out the corner of his eye.

He stopped walking and turned around, which gained the attention from the whole group.

"Robin?" Starfire asked.

"Hold up." he replied.

Then he went towards the spot that caught his attention. Something sparkled from the light of the streetlights, so he crouched down and stared at the object. Curiously, he reached out for it and brought it closer to his eyes so that he could examine it.

Noticing that the Titan leader was inspecting something, Sam walked to him.

"What is it?" she inquired.

"I don't know…" he answered. He touched the cold surface and it felt like _glass_. "It seems to be glass… but what is surprising is that it's _pretty heavy_ for glass !"

Beast Boy rolled his eyes. "I'm pretty sure that a piece of glass means nothing. It's probably just…a broken shard."

"But Robin is right : although it both looks _**and**_ feels like glass, it is way heavy… more like metal Never seen such a thing… appearing to be glass yet really weighty, like metal! That's not an ordinary shard to me! I say we should take it anyway and analyze it!" the MBC leader explained after weighing up the unusual object.

Robin stared at the piece with rather an intense look.

Who was right of Beast Boy and of Sam? That is, was that object really just a broken piece of (heavy) glass… or really something out of the ordinary?

"I'll take my chances." Robin finally replied, taking the shard with him.

 **A/N:** Whoo-hoo! I typed it! But what is up with the shard? Who is right about it : Beast Boy (it's after all an ordinary shard, just heavier than medium) or Sam (it's a really peculiar thing… and it needs investigation) ? And what happened to Raven? So much intensity going on here :o Anyways, I will leave off here and leave the next chapter to the good ol' Dixxy (who, I hope, liked the chapter I have written…)! Toodles!

(SKYCHILD 101)


	6. The mysterious shard

**Bonjour tout le monde !**

 **Eh yes, why not a bit of my mother tongue (French), for a change ? ;)**

 **So there was I, having finished one of my "magnum opuses" and considering starting a new fiction, and teasing Skychild101 about her long-awaited update… Guys, shudda shut my mouth : she sent me her chapter completed the very next day ! That'll teach me a lesson about teasing canado-serbian authoresses ! XD**

 **She left me wz mysteries to unwind, didn't she ? But hey, where's the challenge in co-writing, if the other doesn't bring in her/his fair share of unexpected, eh ?**

 **Alright, I'll try to do good. I promise I will. (*** **cross fingers behind my back*)**

 **Oh, and Coldplay fans… did ya hear about December 4** **th** **? Chapter VII on the way ! Big Up to all Coldplay fans around ! (no offense intended to other fans, duuuuh ! ;P)**

 **Okay, gonna keep it shut now… ^^**

 **N'JOY!**

 **:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::(FIVE) _ THE MYSTERIOUS SHARD _ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

"Gosh, you look… really tired, Raven !" exclaimed Samantha as the empath sat at the table of the common room.

The recipient of the remark turned puffed up eyes towards the yellow member of the MBC.

"I know. Didn't have such a good night. Found it difficult to fall asleep. Can't guess why exactly. Been a long time since I last had sleeping issues, but guess it was just a one-time problem. Pretty sure next night will go just fine."

And as Raven talked, Sam could notice how she slowly nictated, but at such a point that it almost looked like slow motion.

And also that she didn't bother to build complete sentences, omitting the subjects of the sentences each time… as if being too tired to speak correctly.

"Are you sure ?" insisted the black female, decidedly not liking it.

"Mmmm-mmmh" just as slowly confirmed the gothic girl, smiling a weary smile.

"Look, Rae, you seem almost exhausted to me, so if you're feeling _that_ tired, you could really use some rest today. I mean, we totally understand, y'know, no big deal !" pertinently observed Jinx.

"Nice of you, Jinx, but I'm not going to take a nap while some enemy is harming people by preventing them from dreaming. I can hold my ground against fatigue, don't worry."

Beast Boy leaned towards Danny's ear.

"She can be really stubborn… no, scratch that : she _**is**_ really stubborn ! If you manage to make her change her mind, I buy you a drink !"

But even despite weariness, the empath's hearing remained sharp… and she turned incensed eyes to the shapeshifter !

Her glaring gaze, through half-closed eyelids, remained on him for several seconds, enough for the green boy to gulp and sheepishly laugh, before ending up staring at the opposite wall, as if it had suddenly become pretty interesting…

"You sure you'll be okay, Rae ?" asked Cyborg, always as protective as an older brother." I don't wanna sound insistent, but…"

"…but you still DO sound insistent anyway…" the cloaked female continued his sentence. "No offense intended, though. I know you care a lot for me, Cy. Yet I can ensure you I'll be alright. Trust me, I will."

There was a brief mute moment, then Robin concluded that topic.

"If Raven deems herself physically okay, then I see no reason to force her back into bed."

There were nods around the table.

"No one should ever be forced to stay aside if that person wants to take part !" pertinently remarked Cathy, more serious than her usual self.

"You are right indeed, dear fellow alien !" Starfire backed up. "Nobody should be forced. We should all be free to do whatever we want to."

"Hum… how about we come back to our current inquiry ?" proposed Christopher.

Robin turned his gaze to him, then to the enchantresses.

"Did you find anything useful about that issue ? Or any way to cure the sleep-deprived victims ?"

"Hell no ! I've been checking a bit everywhere, and could find as many solutions as gold nuggets in the park…" said Jinx.

Danny made a "pffff !", shaking his head.

"You, just open your mouth to mock and you'll have your ass handed to you !" yelled the Bad Luck Titan.

"Quiet !" screamed Raven, massaging her temples, eyes closed…which instantly silenced Jinx. "And no, I didn't find anything neither. We may be wizards, but we can't find _all_ solutions…"

The Boy Wonder was rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"Cyborg, Chris, can you examine this morning the shard I brought yesterday ?" he finally spoke up.

"Sure we can, but do you have any idea as to where it could possibly come from exactly ?" inquired the MBC Tech.

"Not a clue, Chris. I found right on the street. Sam and I examined it and noticed that, while looking like a piece of dark glass, it definitely was way heavier than standard glass. So heavy, actually, that it seemed to be metal rather than glass. We've never seen anything like this, and wondered if it could be.. alien stuff !"

"And since there's a possibility that this "dream abduction" originates from aliens, then it is fair considering the possibility that this shard is somehow related to our current investigation" explained Sam, her arms crossed over the table's edge, her golden eyes regularly coming back to Raven, to check on her condition.

"We'll start analyzing it in a moment, and hopefully we'll draw something relevant from it !" announced the half-robot.

"What do we do meanwhile ? Keep on patrolling ?" asked Danny, in a tone that left no doubt as to his lack of enthusiasm.

"I think it would be a good idea to try to get info about the victims. First of all, learn how they are feeling, if there is improvement in their condition, if they are out of trouble at all. Then, if there is a possibility to interrogate them, try to see if they can recall anything at all from their issue : the conditions in which it happened, the memories they might have from their dreadful night, the exact feelings they had after waking up… I know this might sound vague somehow, but we must make the best of just any potential clue, any apparently secondary detail : every possible track must be exploited when we've got nothing at hand to start with… apart from that shard !" explained Robin, gritting his teeth as he spoke, realizing how little they indeed had.

"Let us hope we can soon find something…" the Tamaranean declared, voicing out everyone's expectation.

"I'm sure we will ! Good always finds a way against evil !" assertively exclaimed Cathy, smiling a confident smile.

The others would have liked to be just as convinced as she was, be even optimistic about the outcome… but when one is empty-handed, how can one feel comforted enough to actually show confidence ?

 **:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

Cyborg stood up from his chair.

He had finished preparing the microscope, and was going to fetch the enigmatic shard to analyze it.

A minute later, the unknown fragment was right under the powerful magnifying lens, and the human eye of the half-robot was stuck to the other end of said lens.

That eye didn't remain in place for even two minutes.

"You gotta see that, Chris !"

The blunette, who was checking the first data he had got from his substance analyzer, after scanning the shard with it, turned towards his fellow Tech.

"I'm coming, Cyborg !"

Less than two minutes later (again), the freckled boy was also removing his eye from the upper side of the lens and turning towards the African-American teenager.

"No way ! What's that ? Never seen such a molecular structure ! I've been observing countless things through a microscope, in my life, but I swear I've never come across something… like that !"

"Eh, same here, Man ! I don't use this microscope every single day, but one thing's for sure : this is the very first time I get to see such a strange nano-pattern !"

The MBC genius was holding his chin and the lower part of his face in his hand, visibly thoughtful.

" Do you think the same thing as me ?" he finally uttered.

"If you think what I think you think, then yes !" replied the robotic teenager.

They both laughed at that before resuming their seriousness.

"I've checked the results of my own analysis, on my substance analyzer, and it confirms what the microscope shows…" Chris informed Cyborg.

"Let me guess… you've never seen such results in your whole life ?"

"Exactly. That data is just… it's just crazy !"

The muscular Titan nodded, knowing how his new friend felt.

"We gotta inform the others."

This time, it was Chris's turn to nod.

 **:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

"So, Madam, what can you recall from that night ?" asked the blue-eyed blonde with a friendly smile.

The patient took a good look at her and sighed.

"I'm afraid I won't be of much help, because I can't recall anything at all. Just that I turned around and around in my bed, and… that's it."

"So, you did not experience any pain at all ? Or any other physical phenomenon ?" asked the other girl, a red-haired teen with curiously green eyes.

The patient turned to her and shook her head.

"No. nothing special."

"And how did you feel in the morning, after waking up ?"

Cathy already knew the answer to that question, since Chris had explained it to them all, but she nevertheless wanted to confirm it with the patient.

The lady's stare seemed to get lost in the vague as she remembered.

"Well… I felt very tired… really very tired… and I still do, as a matter of fact."

"And did you not feel… hum, anything else, that morning ?"

Starfire had almost been about to ask the woman if she had not felt somewhat _empty_ , but at the very last second had recalled what Robin had said : that the patients should NOT be aware that the Teen Titans and the Monster Buster Club were **already** informed about their experience and their symptoms after the terrible night.

"I also had a pretty bad headache… and… Uh, wait… yes, I did have a strange impression… it was as if I was… missing something, you know ? Well, in fact… it was even more than that : I had the strange sensation that I was… empty ! I know, that sounds so weird… but as far as I can recall, that's how I felt ! Empty ! As if someone had stolen away my memories."

Cathy leaned forward as an idea popped up in her mind, triggered by that last sentence.

"Since you mention memories, did you notice any disappearance of memories ? Did you have any difficulty at all in recalling anything ?"

The lady pondered this for a moment.

"No, I don't think so. I don't remember having any trouble in remembering things. Yet I still had that strange impression that something had vanished from me. As if someone had come in during the night and stolen something from my mind or my body."

"And why are you staying in that hospital ? You cannot go home now ?"

The woman almost seemed liked she was about to burst out crying.

"I wish I could go home. But it's continuing. It's CONTINUING !"

Cathy exchanged a perplexed gaze with Starfire before turning back to the patient.

"What do you mean ? **What** is continuing ?"

The poor victim couldn't repress tears any longer.

"I'm still exhausted every time I wake up. I still have that awful headache. And I still have that sensation of emptiness. Every single day. Every goddamn single day !" she choked out between sobs.

This time, the look the two aliens shared between them was a frightened one…

 **:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

When the six Titans and the four MBC's sat around the large table of the common room, that evening, none of the faces looked pleased.

Robin looked at each in turn then gave an approving nod to Sam.

"Alright, we will share the day's results. And if you don't mind, I will give first Robin's and mine's feedback. We have checked the city's video surveillance footage from previous nights and liaised with the police most of the day. As regards video, we couldn't come up with anything substantial up to now. Whoever is behind this sure knows how to act sneaky and make themselves discrete. And as for the police reports, they all state a generalization of the phenomenon, each time with identical symptoms. So we now know that this evil is spreading around Jump City, but not who is the guilty one, not how he proceeds exactly and not how we can counter his nefarious deeds and cure people." She turned to the sorceresses, who were sitting side by side. "Thank you again to Raven and Jinx for spending so much time in their spell books and trying so hard to find a magical formula to revert the curse, or what looks like a curse of some sort."

"You're welcome !" replied Jinx.

"No problem !" added Raven on her side.

Sam couldn't help biting her lip, as she noticed that the empath looked at least as tired as she was in the morning… if not more.

She was about to ask the Azarathian if she all the same felt any better – although it didn't appear much likely… - yet at the last second, she reconsidered it and preferred to remain silent. For the time being, at least.

"So… who's next for reporting their own results ?" asked Robin.

"Dibs !" the Pink Titan said, raising her hand.

"Okay, Jinx. We're listening to you."

"So Raven and I went to interrogate one of the victims, but we didn't learn more than what you guys told us." She glanced at the pair of techs. "That is, that the victim slept really bad, turning around in her bed several times, that she woke up very tired and with an intense headache, and that she felt really empty, as if she had been siphoned of a great part of her personality, together with her body strength. That's it."

"Hum, that doesn't brings us further than where we currently stand…" observed Sam, somehow stating the obvious. "Cathy ? Danny ?"

"We had identical results. Nothing more… uh, actually yes, one more thing, but that isn't of much help as regards our identifying the culprit : our patient said that she now woke up every single morning with the same exhaustion, the same headache and the same emptiness feeling. So it's repeating day after day !" summarized the Rhapsodian.

"Well, same thing for our patient, actually. Sorry for failing to mention it." Raven reacted.

The golden orbs turned to Sam's spike-haired teammate.

"Nothing to add…" he spoke up, somewhat disappointed that he, THE Danny, couldn't come up with something better than his friends, and therefore prove his invaluable efficiency.

"We did all this for nothing…" added Beast Boy, sighing a long sigh.

"It's not for nothing. We're conducting an investigation, so we have to check all potential tracks, look through even the secondary details, and there is a great probability that we'll come up with few or no results. It's part of the deal, if I may put it that way. But we don't really have a choice about being successful : we must accept failures and not cease our search. So no, it isn't for nothing that you went to ask these people. We had to make sure there wasn't more to learn from them." Boy Wonder explained.

"And what about you, Chris and Cyborg ? Any luck with the analysis of that shard ?" the MBC leader wanted to know.

The Titan Tech put a glass container with the shard in it down on the table, a little towards the center, for all to see, then he cleared his throat.

"We found out that this strange item isn't something produced by humans. We've examined it through a microscope, and its structure is a mix of black and dark grey rhombuses, interspersed with minuscule black spheres. We have never seen anything like this before. But there is more…"

And Cyborg then went silent, turning to Chris to have him pursue the explanation.

"After choosing a more powerful lens to look at the shard, we could notice that there was another structure embedded in the first one. It's made of tiny dark blue triangles and… it's liquid. We noticed that when moving the fragment : the triangles were moving to and fro, just like a liquid in a container that had been moved. So there definitely is something else, something liquid inside the shard. Now how did it get inside ? _That's_ a good question ! And neither do we know how to get it out to have a look at it and study it more efficiently. We have tried various devices and weapons, but nothing managed to break that fragment and thus grant us access to that mysterious liquid…"

"A liquid ? What could that be ?" asked Cathy, looking just as puzzled as the others.

Chris shrugged, arching his mouth downwards in the typically embarrassed expression.

"And it would be of alien origin ?" asked Starfire, visibly interested by the perspective.

"Yup. That thing here doesn't look the least like human-made stuff. That seems enough to us to deem it alien matter !" answered Cyborg.

"Maybe we could try one of our weapons on that stuff ?" proposed the Jock.

"I have already tried all of our MBC gear, Danny, and as you can see…" Chris motioned to the enigmatic dark piece of alien substance "…to no avail !"

Robin was thinking it over.

"Raven, Jinx, perhaps one of you two could give it a try ?" he proposed.

"Sure, why not ? Hand over the alien stuff, Metal Man !" teased Jinx.

"Here, Pinkie !" he replied, just as teasing, as he stretched his arm to her.

She grabbed that weird fragment and, after turning it between her fingers, to have a closer look at it, she glanced at her fellow enchantress.

"Mind if I give it a try first, Rae ?"

"Knock yourself out !"

The half-closed lids of the empath slightly worried those present, mostly Robin, Starfire, Cathy and even more Sam, who had quickly learned to enjoy the company of the Dark Titan.

Jinx shut her eyes for a few seconds…and as she reopened them, they were bright pink !

A pink aura became visible around the hand holding the shard…

…and within a couple of seconds, a faint crack could be heard !

The tiny fissure spread around the mysterious item, and Jinx set the object back upright while pointing towards the glass container with her other hand.

"May I have the container, please ?" she asked.

Raven immediately encased the desired object in her black magic and levitated it to her fellow magic user.

"Thanks, Rae !"

The pink-haired female put the now broken shard above the container and used her other hand to grab the upper end of the fragment.

Then, holding both parts of the broken shard together, to avoid their separation, she turned the alien item in horizontal position, pulled her hands apart and…

"Damn ! What's that ?"

Cyborg indeed couldn't believe his eyes as he saw the thick dark blue liquid slowly come out of both halves of the broken fragment and gather in the container, eventually filling a good third of it.

"Soooooo creeeeeepy !" exclaimed Danny as he experienced goosebumps.

"It looks like paint…" commented Cathy.

But on closer inspection, they all could notice, inside the matter, several faint glows, whose light actually kept coming and going slowly.

"I don't think paint would emit inner radiance." pertinently pointed out the gadget boy of the MBC. "I've never seen anything like this !"

"Well done for managing to break the object, Friend Jinx !" Starfire congratulated her pink-eyed teammate. "But how did you do that ?"

"Bah, 'twas nothing, really ! I just used my bad luck vibes to alter the structure of the object. Alter it in a negative way… by making that structure unstable, fragile. And eventually rising its fragility level to its maximum, which made the shard finally break. All of this thanks to Bad Luck. Eh, ya know, some just have the knack, when others don't…" replied the addressee of the compliment, smirking and slightly turning her head to glance sideways at the duet of machos out of the corner of her eyes, an ironical sparkle in her pink orbs.

Said machos both had ill-tempered gestures as they glared at her, huffing and sighing.

Sam and Robin, as for them, didn't breathe out a word, didn't make any movement, settling for an acute observation of the unknown liquid displaying those stupefying inner glimmers that continuously disappeared and reappeared.

The Titan Tech turned to gaze at the MBC Tech.

"Guess we'll have more analyses to conduct, eh, Chris ?"

"Looks like it indeed, Cyborg…"

 **:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

The Tower was asleep.

Bodies were tired of all the walks and interviews, minds were tired of all the examinations and discoveries… they all needed some rest.

And even if some had difficulties to fall asleep – the two leaders, of course… always alert and preoccupied about the day's major event ! -, they eventually all ended up in Morpheus's arms.

Their night unraveled harmoniously…

…except for a certain sorceress, who kept on switching position in her purple bed !

She got up three times, to either drink herbal tea or go to the restroom, desperately hoping that she might find sleep at last...

Yet she had a hard time getting to it.

Extremely hard.

But a last, her tormented organism, exhausted, collapsed into an extremely delayed sleep.

And daybreak finally came.

Samantha entered the kitchen and approached Raven, who had her back to her and was putting away a tiny red box, in the cabinet right in front of her.

The empath half-turned and almost jolted as she noticed someone was there, not too far behind her… which she would normally have sensed, but her current exhaustion disrupted her empathic and extra-sensitive abilities…

"Good morning, Raven." the African-American female softly greeted her dark friend.

"Good morning to you too, Sam…" slowly said the pale girl, visibly with a slight effort.

The golden gaze lowered on the grey hand, not failing to notice the two capsules nested in it.

"Headache ?" the black female asked, recognizing the pills and therefore mentally linking them to the corresponding body trouble.

"Headache, yes. A pretty bad one."

That being said, Raven swiftly put her hand to her mouth and hurried to swallow water right after.

"Are you feeling less tired today ? I really hope you are !" sympathetically said Sam.

But the quick headshake of the Azarathian shattered her friend's hope.

"Oh gosh ! Raven, that can't be good ! You're still as weary ?"

The gothic Titan was still not facing her interlocutor, remaining in profile.

"Possibly even more than before. I've tried to find a spell for this in my _grimoire_ **(1)** , yesterday evening, but… to no avail, alas !"

Raven finally turned completely towards Sam, to face her for good…

…and the black-skinned one couldn't help taking a step back while putting her hand over her open mouth !

The empath's eyelids were half-closed, and she had such visible bags under her eyes ! Dark great bags !

The eyes themselves appeared… dull, lifeless !

"Raven, you… you look -"

" - terrible, I know. But I'll find a way to get better. I always do."

"Can I help ?"

The sorceress took a long look at the alien fighter and gave a long sigh.

"No, thank you. I'll manage."

Sam swallowed her saliva.

"Are you sure you'll…"

She was cut short by the three nods in a row that she got from Raven.

"Okay… if you're certain… but if you need anything, don't hesitate !"

The healer finally smiled… a weary, effort-needing smile.

"Thank you, Sam."

The meeting of the morning finally arrived.

"We've analyzed that blue liquid and have found something really… disturbing !" started Chris. "When we looked at the screen of the analysis room, to have a close-up of the matter's molecules… images appeared !"

He let Cyborg continue.

"In fact, they were animated sequences. They featured a woman with red curly hair, smiling to a blond child who had brought her flowers. She called him 'my dear little Stephen' as she grabbed the flowers from his hands."

"What ?!" suddenly screamed the young Rhapsodian.

They all turned to her.

"A problem, Cathy ?" Robin asked her.

"The patient we went to interview was a red-haired woman. Her hair was curly. And when we left her, a blond child showed up and ran to her, laughing as he did, and she screamed a happy 'Stephen ! My dear little Stephen !' as she embraced him !"

"Yes, that is indeed what took place !" confirmed Starfire.

There was a long silence as everyone took that in and pondered it.

It seemed to be too much for words.

But after a long, deafening silence, Sam uttered what probably may have been the most important words of the day.

"It makes no doubt that they are the same people. And if these persons appeared on the screen when analyzing that dark blue alien matter, it means that this substance has some link with them. It could be memories, but the presence of these images in that mysterious liquid makes me come to another conclusion."

And after a quick panoramic look, she ended her utterance on the crucial sentences of her speech, the one that would have their recent activities take a decisive turn in the nearest future.

"Guys, I think that this matter is the physical manifestation of dreams. What that shard contained was… the dreams of that victim Cathy and Starfire interviewed, but in a liquid form. So I deduce from this point that the shard was used by the one who steals dreams. And if we manage to find the origin of that alien fragment… then we'll be able to reach and stop our enemy !"

 **:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTE**_ __

 **1._** _ **grimoire**_ **: that's another word for 'spell book', and the French word for it is identical. Now, does English originate from French or the other way round…? Go figure, eh !**

 **:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

 **First of all, very sad and moving thoughts of mine fly to Paris, where several suicide attacks and shootouts mowed down more than 120 lives. Sorrow I feel for all the families of the disappeared. And alas… the more we continue in time, the worst this world of ours is becoming… almost a shame to be human…**

 **Lord, is that deplorable… and distressing…**

 **Ah damn, really…**

… **.**

… **.**

 **But we have to move on… we always have to, no matter what !**

… **.**

… **.**

 **So I crafted this in less than 5 days. Must be one of my quickest writings ! But since I'm on vacation, fair enough, eh ?**

 **So the shard may probably be related to the "dream abduction"… which naturally makes Robin's discovery, at the end of the previous chapter, a fundamental one for the progression of their common inquiry !**

 **Now… how will they go on ? How will they possibly find the origin of the shard ? And what will happen with Raven ? Will her condition worsen or improve ? By the way… that exhaustion of hers… that intense headache of hers… and these two really shortly after waking up… who among you wants to speak their mind first, dear audience ?**

 **So, that's it for me ! I'll therefore quickly bounce the ball sent by Skychild101 back to her, and hopefully she'll reward us all with another chappy before Christmas comes knocking ! Hopefully so…! (Heard me, Ana ? Get your… fingers back to work ! XD)**

 **Thanks to all those who read, and especially to DRAGONSPIRIT996 for reviewing as well ! Glad ya like what ya found, Mate !**

 **And thanxxxx Passion Pit for three wonderful albums ! Michael Angelakos, blessings on your head ! Big Up to any Passion Pit fan outta here !**

 **Be all fine, Folxxxx, good luck to each of ya for studies, personal challenges and whatnot, take care and… stay tuned !**

 **Peace, Love, Ecstasy !**

 **(Dixxy)**


	7. Trouble at bay

**A/N:** HIIIIIIIIII PEOPLEEEE! And once again, school took my time up but thankfully, I have time to write today! =D Huzzah! Now onward I say!

 **(SIX)** **Trouble at Bay**

 _There were footsteps running among the streets in the dead of the night. They sounded heavy and told of anxiety, as though their owners were trying to get away from…whatever the problem was._

 _Not too far behind, there was another silhouette that seemed to be chasing the first shadow ahead._

 _The first runaway turned around a corner only to halt in her tracks. A few seconds later, there was a laugh echoing around the place._

" _End of the line, dearie!" a voice sneered, catching the person's attention._

 _She gasped as she turned around. "No…no! Get away from me!" she replied while taking a few steps back even though it was futile._

" _Such pitiful fool! You're mine now."_

 _The evil person then stuck his hand out and a pearly white object that took the shape of a broken glass came out of his hand. The shard floated at the top of his hand before it transformed into wavy streaks. The streaks went towards the fearful woman who had her eyes wide with terror._

 _And then, a scream came then nothing._

And then, she opened her eyes wide and took a sharp gasp. Staring blankly, Raven turned her head to the side to stare at her closed curtains. The sound of falling rain pattered against the window as though it was trying to soothe the troubled souls.

 _Sleep…I need sleep…_

 **:(/\\):**

"Goooood morning, Jump City!" Cy exclaimed, giving out a yawn. "How did we all sleep—giayhh!" he gave out a frightened shout.

There, beside him, was none other than Raven, who dully looked at the floor.

"Raven? Woah, what happened?" Cy asked, going near his friend.

"I am fine." she stated, dully. "You need not worry about me."

This raised eyebrows and questions among the two groups.

Sensing the awkward silence, the empath asked.

"What…is on the…agenda today…?"

Sam narrowed her eyes. _Yeah, she looks just fine! Her speech is getting slower and slower every day! I need to find out what is happening to her._

"Uh…well, I was thinking that we could um…try to find out where the origin of our enemy is…" Robin stated. "We have done all we could around the city. I think it's about time we actually start to find out where the lair of the enemy is."

Finally tearing her gaze away, Sam nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

"You guys…go. I will…join you shortly…" Raven stated before walking towards the door. She then stopped. "Oh, and don't bother…coming…to me, Sam…"

With that, she left.

"What's up with her?" Danny asked.

The Titans gave a shrug.

"Okay, now what we need to do is—"

The alarm blared throughout the Tower, cutting off Robin.

"Titans, go!" he commanded, running towards the door.

"Uh, don't we need to see where the attack is taking place?" Sam called out.

"Bad guys usually make an explosion. If you see one, it's there." Beast Boy said.

"And that's the stupidest thing I've heard all day." Jinx replied, rolling her eyes. "Idiot." she muttered under her breath.

Shrugging, Sam followed shortly. "MBC, go!"

 **:(/\\):**

Screams from the citizens erupted in the city as they were trying to run away from the scene.

"Haha! Run, _run_! From this day on, this city belongs to me—argh!" the villain screeched, stumbling backwards.

He had his hand at the side of his cheek and snarled as he turned to the side to see who attacked him.

"Hate to break it to you but I don't think you got the memo." a voice announced as it got the object in his hand. It soon revealed the Titans but there was something different.

Instead of only the Titans, there was also another group who was also ready to attack.

"The city belongs to us." Robin stated, eyes narrowed.

Outraged by their interruption, the villain began to release its attack at full blast.

The Titans weren't worried as they knew their dark friend would produce a shield. On the other hand, the MBC prepared themselves to jump but just as they were about to, a voice was heard.

"I'll teach you not to mess with the wrong group. Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

A full shield that went from Starfire all the way to Cathy was formed. The enemy's blast struck the wall which had faltered. Once the attack died down, the shield got lowered and Robin shouted out the command.

"Titans, go!"

However, the MBC group turned their heads towards the dark Titan who was floating in mid-air.

"Exactly just how powerful are you?" Danny asked.

"Pretty powerful." she answered then paused. "Now are you gonna join us or are you going to stand there?"

The group shrugged. "MBC, power up!"

A bright flash came then it disappeared. Raven blankly stared at it. Noticing the look, Sam blinked.

"What?"

"Uh, nothing."

Shrugging, the group went to the battle.

Robin leaped from one side of the building then to the streetlight. He then jumped off to throw an explosive disk. Unfortunately, the lizard-type villain saw this so he swung his tail which struck the Boy Wonder. However, instead of falling, Robin simply performed a backflip then landed on his feet though he slid back a bit.

Once he stopped sliding, he watched the others as they were battling the foe.

It was then that he had idea. Seeing that his group was on the other side, he went to them.

Not too soon, the MBC members had also joined him.

"Listen up. I've got an idea." he announced.

"Starfire and Cyborg. I want you guys to take him from the sides. Danny and Chris will join you. Beast Boy and Cathy, I want you to attack from above. Raven and Jinx, you attack at the front and Sam and I will attack from behind." he replied.

"Oh I get it. So that way, if the villain receives multiple attacks all at once, he would eventually fall." Sam stated.

Robin nodded. "Exactly."

"Alright, let's go!"

The two groups split up and went to their destination. Raven started to attack first so she used her magic words to encase two cars which she then sent flying towards the villain… but instead of hitting him, they flew _past_ him !

 _What?_ the empath thought.

"Looks like someone needs a little help." Jinx announced as she released her own pink powers towards the villain. Unfortunately, the enemy dodged by leaping into the air and brought his fist back so that he could attack the two girls.

"I got you!" Cy exclaimed, raising his own fist as well. He struck the enemy down hard from the side and the foe slid back to the side from the impact.

"I got it! I got it!" Danny shouted, having his weapon ready to shoot.

Just as the opponent got up, the red MBC member immediately started to fire. Naturally, the enemy jumped from a streetlight and high into the air, avoiding Danny's blast.

As it was in the air, he attacked Danny with his tail, sending the red MBC member flying backwards.

"Man, this enemy is tough." Danny muttered, rubbing his head.

"Tell me about it." Chris replied, shooting his own weapon. "It's like he _knows_ where we are going to attack him."

Cathy then went behind the enemy in an attempt to bring him down by pulling down his tail.

Seeing the struggle, Beast Boy transformed into an elephant to help her out by wrapping his trunk around her waist.

"I do not believe that our plan is working." Starfire shouted as she fired her own starbolts. "He is quite the persistent enemy."

"We have to keep on trying. We have to capture him. If we capture him, he might lead us to his master!" Robin stated. "Maybe we could try to bring him down by continuing what Cathy started doing."

Cy shrugged. "As the old saying goes: the bigger they are, the harder they fall."

"Raven, Jinx. I need you to hit as much as you can. Sam, you will deliver the final blow. As for the rest of us, we will keep on attacking." Robin stated.

With that, the two groups got back to work.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" several objects were encased with her dark spell and thrown at the adversary… but just like before, they missed the target !

 _Why am I missing him?_ Raven thought.

Jinx then sent out her wave of attack and this time, it managed to get the villain and make him stumble down from the broken ground.

"You okay there, Raven? But what happened? You never miss your targets!" Jinx pointed out.

"Um, I'm fine. It's just…I haven't been able to meditate lately." Raven answered.

"Okay." Jinx gave a little shrug before taking off into the battle.

However, sensing that someone was watching her, Raven turned around to see Robin staring at her; his expression was unreadable.

Raven then turned her head to the side and noticed a nearby car. Seeing this, she covered it with her dark magic. This time, the car _finally_ struck the foe, and even in the bull's eye!

"Alright, Raven!" Cy cheered.

She then gave her attention back to Robin but it did little to ease the leader, even after seeing her succeeding in her attack.

 _I'm fine, Robin._

With that, she flew into the battlefield. Deciding that the lizard had enough of them, he brought his two fists up and then smashed at the ground to create a huge shockwave which struck the ones who were on the ground instead of levitating.

Using this chance, the lizard started to leap from the streetlight and into the air to get away from the scene.

Acting quickly, Robin threw an object towards the enemy before it disappeared from sight.

 **:(/\\):**

"Aw, man! I can't believe he got away." Danny muttered.

"Tell me something I don't know." Chris replied, sighing. "Where did we go wrong?"

"I know right? I mean, both of the plans _should've_ worked." Sam stated. "I just don't understand."

Jinx then turned her attention to the dark sorceress. "And Raven…what happened back there?"

This got the whole group's attention and all turned to face the Dark Titan.

"It's nothing. When you're out in the battle, you sometimes just…miss. That's all. No one can always get their attacks right on the dot, you know." she responded.

"I know but you…you _never_ miss your target!"

"It's just nothing." she insisted. "Now, please…drop it."

"Whatever." Jinx shrugged.

"So now how are we supposed to catch him? We don't even know where he is _or_ where he is going to attack." Beast Boy said next.

"Actually, we don't need to worry about him." Robin replied.

"Uh, I don't think you got the memo, here, Robin : the dude got _away_! How can we not worry about him?" Danny asked.

"Because…we know _exactly_ where he is!" Robin lifted his hand to show the tracking device.

On the device, there was a red beeping dot…

 **A/N:** Huzzah! I finished it! *Confettis, streamers, balloons* And just a quick note: at the beginning, Raven _did_ _ **not**_ dream of it. It's like… kind of like a prologue that gives a glimpse of what will happen later… yeah …so hum… toodles!

 **(SkyChild101)**


	8. Facing it

**Hey there Folxxxx !**

 **How ya doin' ? Hope you're all as good as gold, and that studies aren't tiring ya down…**

 **So my dear partner, SkyChild101 (yo, Ana !), kinda surprised me with a really fast update ! I had expected the next chapter to be ready rather this week, yet she was already done at the end of the previous week. Now** _ **that**_ **was almost too quick for me ! (coz yeah, my dear Ana is probably faster at storywriting than Lucky Luke is at drawing his gun and shooting !)**

 **A biggreathugeenormousgigantic THANKYOU to** _ **CuttieGirll57**_ **for reading + reviewing + favoriting this sTTory ! My dear Cris', you've been so supportive of my work since the very beginning… that I'm extremely indebted to ya for your countless reviews and your regular favoriting and following my stories, both MBC's and TT's ! Your encouraging me brought so much light and warmth into my heart… Hopefully I'll make ya just as pleased as usual, this time wz the help of another gifted author(ess).**

 **Since I'm about to bring to light the first chapter of a new story, I will henceforth not be able to continue this story as quickly as before. Indeed, I always finish my current chapter before switching to something else, and that naturally means postponing the writing of the other story as long as you're still on the first story (I will never ever leave a chapter pending to start updating another fiction !). So yeah, that basically implies you'll have to cope with… hum…"delays" on my part ! And therefore, thanxxxx a bunch for bearing with this, gratitude for your patience !**

 **Oh, and I have to celebrate something this very month : 4 years of FF publication. I indeed put my first story out during the first week of December 2011. And let me tell ya one thing : it's just AWESOME being here on Fan Fiction. What a smashing website this is ! I'll never get enough of it ! (Addiction much ? You bet ! :D)**

 **This being said… how about we continue our lil' trip ?**

 **So…**

 **N'JOY !**

 **:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

 **(SEVEN)_FACING IT_**

 **:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

"What is preoccupying you, Sam ?"

The MBC leader raised her head and looked straight into Chris's blue eyes.

She sighed, a long, tired sigh that let him know how harassed she felt after not sleeping that well lately, due to her concern growing late at night, when there weren't the day's activities – fight, inquiry, plans – to distract her from her worry.

"It's about Raven, isn't it ? About her condition ?" he asked her before she had the time to formulate a reply.

"Yeah…" she said, in another of those long sighs giving away her fatigue… both moral and physical. "She has been repeating that she was… "fine", but it seems to me that she is everything but fine. You've noticed how her eyelids are always half-closed lately, and how she speaks slower than before, visibly with some effort. How _**could**_ she be fine ?"

"Mmmh, I hear you on this one…" replied Chris. "She certainly isn't that well. She has been accumulating tiredness from… well, probably from a lack of sleep. I can't think of anything else, since she hasn't been especially confronted to exhausting tasks during daytime. Unless her powers would suddenly demand more energy from her, for whatever reason."

"Rae has never had any issue with her powers and the energy it needed to perform them. Not once up to now." stated Cyborg, who had come back from his analysis and overheard what they were talking about.

"But what if it had just changed ? And what would be the reason for such a change ?" questioned the black teen, trying to dig deeper, as she looked the large Titan straight in the eyes.

"Don't ask me, Sam !" retorted the "metal and flesh" boy. "I've known Rae for quite some time now, but as far as her powers are concerned… I know zilch about them ! Well, actually, I do know two basic facts about them : that they are based on dark magic and that, in order to use them at best, Raven must be able to control her emotions, to keep them in check, or else they could go haywire. But as for the rest… And unless she has been confiding more to Robin, nobody else in our team should know more about her dark powers than what I've just told you."

The female leader was supporting her chin with her right thumb, her forefinger across her lips, in a typical thoughtful expression. She was examining the options at hand about Raven's problem.

"So, in both cases, that her powers are involved or not in her issue, I would have to check the matter with her directly. I must go and talk to her."

Sam therefore turned on her heels and started for the door.

"I hope she will listen to you…" said Cyborg in her back.

"Hopefully so, since you two seem to get along just fine…" added Chris.

But when she turned her head at them… she had a sad look on.

"Hopefully…" she simply said, her mouth imperceptibly arching down, before leaving for good.

 **:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

Sam put her arm down and waited.

Seconds went by…

… yet nothing.

Concluding that Raven might be asleep, especially given her recent exhaustion, the African-American knocked again… but louder, this time.

No reaction from within.

Sam leaned forward and pricked up her ears.

Silence.

Thick, endless silence.

She was still hesitant as to retry or maybe search the Tower – in case the empath was meditating elsewhere – when she heard light footsteps behind her.

Turning around, she faced the sorceress who was coming her way…

…but alas **not** the one she wanted to talk to !

"Looking for Rae, eh ?" asked the pink-haired female as she stopped across from the yellow alien fighter. "She often meditates in her room, but she regularly also chooses the roof for that. So you should check up there as well. Hopefully you'll find her there."

Sam smiled.

"Thanks… uh… Jinx, right ?"

The witch with the cat's eyes smirked.

"The one and only ! But true that such a name is kinda trickier to retain than, say… Sam, for instance !"

The African-American snorted.

"You really have the gift of the gab, I can tell. I like that." A short pause. "But anyway… I hope I can find her up there. I almost wondered if she either was sleeping too soundly to have heard my knocks or heard them yet didn't want to talk to anyone… and therefore ignored it. But perhaps she simply isn't in here…"

Jinx crossed her arms.

"Mmmmh… would it have been anybody else's room, I certainly would have advised you to open the door. But Rae's door is now constantly locked, because she values her privacy so much and… some immature jerk [she swiftly rolled her eyes] managed to recently invade that privacy, so… she decided to make sure **no one** would be able to open that door. Which means that, if she actually is in there yet isn't reacting, whatever the reason… well, you'll just have to wait for her to come out from her own will."

Then the cheeky witch briefly bit her lip.

"I just hope that she isn't feeling too tired. She has been appearing so pooped recently…"

Sam nodded.

"That was what I had come to discuss with her. To try to find out what is wrong with her. She keeps saying that she is fine, but… come on, she clearly isn't !"

The teen with the golden eyes sighed.

"Okay I guess I'll go on the roof. Which way is that, please ?"

Jinx pointed to the left.

"That way. But, hum…"

She hesitated, yet decided to spit it out.

"I was considering asking her about her recent condition issue. So… do you mind if I come with you ? And, uh… knowing Rae and her stubbornness, I guess that it would be better to be two and not one to convince her. That okay with you ?"

"Sure. Let's go together then !" concluded Sam.

 **:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

The roof door opened. They walked out and peered around.

No one.

"Gosh ! I hoped she would be here, but…" said a visibly disappointed Samantha, standing close to the open door, whose knob she was still holding, and ready to turn back inside.

Jinx, who had stepped forward, turned around then slightly leaned forward to look on the other side of the wall neighbouring the roof door.

And her eyes opened imperceptibly.

She had just seen blue fabric close to the concrete surface !

After taking two more steps, she could see it all… and she rushed forth, screaming Raven's name, which made Sam hurry in the same direction as Jinx.

The two girls kneeled down by Raven, who was sitting with her back arched against the wall, both legs spread apart, her head down as if in a discouraged attitude, leaving only her purple hair visible.

"Rae ! Rae !" screamed the pink witch as she tapped the empath's shoulder.

The Dark Titan slowly raised her head… and her friends could see that she had been crying very recently, like only minutes ago.

"Oh God ! Raven !" exclaimed Sam as she put her hand on the Azarathian's shoulder.

"I… I c-can't… meditate anymore… I'm… I'm too exhausted… I've tried… tried focusing… on m-my mantra… but I can't… I've got… I've got a headache… I couldn't focus… and I… I suddenly fell… I fell as if I… I hadn't enough power… to… to levitate… What will I do… if I… if I can't… m-meditate…?"

Tears had been welling up in her purple eyes and were now slowly rolling down her cheeks, making her stutter while she was explaining.

Sam didn't know Raven that well, but the general impression she had about her was one of self-control, of inner mastery, therefore was she surprised that her new friend showed sudden fragility.

But for Jinx, who knew her really well, it was a shock. Her fellow sorceress had always kept her emotions under control and never, never had she appeared emotionally challenged. Therefore, seeing the powerful empath weep really stunned the Bad Luck Charm.

"Rae… what's wrong ? What's the matter with you ? How can we help ?" Jinx urged her magical partner to reply.

"Please, Raven, tell us what the problem is and how it shows itself. We must find a way to cure you from your exhaustion. Maybe Chris could examine you…?"

Raven whipped her eyes and looked back at them.

"I lied. I didn't want to worry you, and thought I could handle it myself, so I said I was fine… but I'm not. I can feel I'm getting weaker every day…."

Sam and Jinx quickly exchanged a worried look.

"…and I have the same feeling as those patients : I feel empty… or as if I was missing something !"

She watched her two friends with alarming sadness in her tired eyes.

"I'm afraid they got me as well, last Tuesday…"

"Last Tuesday ? What happened last Tuesday ?" asked a worried Jinx.

Raven sighed.

"I guess I should have told the team earlier…" she said, almost disgusted by her own carelessness about that matter.

"But told _what_ ? _What_ didn't you tell us, Raven ?" questioned Samantha, just as anxious as the Badlucker.

"We've got to see Robin. I will tell him." wearily replied the Azarathian, nictating very slowly.

"Let's go find him !" the golden-eyed girl said on a decided tone.

 **:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

As it was meal time, the Titans and MBC members were all gathering for lunch in the common room.

Raven, who was followed closely by Sam and Jinx, slowly approached Boy Wonder.

"Hum… Robin… I have something to tell you… but in fact, on second thought, I want to share it with the whole team. It wouldn't be normal to confess only to you : we're a team, a large team made of two superheroes teams, and there mustn't be secrets among us all. I've been stupid enough to keep it to myself up to now… but I can't anymore. I apologize for not coming to you before."

The acrobat's eyes narrowed behind his mask.

"Right. So you have something important to share… with the whole team ? Okay then. I'm going to call everybody."

And walking the walk as well as talking the talk, he hailed the rest of the two groups.

They all gathered in front of Robin, while Sam and Jinx remained by Raven's side, in a somewhat protective fashion.

"Raven has something to share with us all" he simply announced before stepping to the side.

The dark magic wielder looked at Jinx and Sam.

"Please join the rest of our friends. I'd prefer to have you all in front of me as I confess."

The two girls nodded and gathered with the others.

Raven took a deep inspiration **(1)** , eyes closed, then reopened them and cast a quick panoramic look at all her teammates.

"I have to apologize to you for… not telling you immediately what happened to me on Tuesday. I thought it wasn't that serious and that I could handle it, but… I was wrong. And I'm sorry for not telling you, and have you guys worry for me…"

Nobody spoke, so she had to continue.

"I was meditating on the roof when I saw several objects fall from the sky. I dodged them and noticed they were dark blue crystals. But no matter how fast I was moving, I couldn't avoid them all… and got hit at some point. I didn't notice any change at first, but got more tired the next day, and always more and more afterwards. I didn't understand what was happening to me… until you mentioned the symptoms of the patients at the hospital. That excessive fatigue… and that sensation of emptiness, of lacking something. I have exactly the same impression, every morning, and I started searching my spell books, to find a magical cure against it, but… I couldn't find any up to now. I also have had difficulties meditating, since yesterday… Massive headaches, and this morning, I even fell… as if I had become too weak to levitate. It's true that I'm exhausted lately… but not to the point I couldn't even float up for my meditation sessions. It's worsening every day. I must absolutely continue looking for a spell, a cure that can cancel the effects of that attack. But once again, I have to apologize to you all for not being honest with you from the start and keeping it all to myself. I thought I could handle it personally and didn't want to uselessly worry you… yet I was wrong. Sorry once more."

She got silent after that, her gaze looking more specifically for Robin and Sam.

But neither of these two was the first to speak.

It was instead, alas for Raven, the very person with whom she had the most complicated relationship.

"How could you hide something from your friends ? You don't trust us enough or what ?! Or you don't consider us able to help you ?! That's really careless and hurtful ! I thought you were smarter than that !" half-screamed the shapeshifter.

"Wow wow wow, easy, Beast Boy ! Raven clearly proved us that she was really sorry for not telling us, and that she additionally really didn't feel well physically. So take that into consideration and don't be so offensive ! Everybody makes mistakes, but as long as they apologize for it, why be so severe to them ?" scolded Jinx.

"You're on her side, of course…" noted the green teenager as he glared at her.

"I'm in favour of justice but also of humanity. Humanity as a moral virtue, that is. I wouldn't necessarily be defending Raven at any cost, if she really was way wrong… but in this case, given her apologies and her condition, I say we should forgive her and help her."

"Well, if it was me who had been attacked and was feeling so tired afterwards, to the point of falling down, I sure as hell would have told my team. I would never have kept it to myself, because that's not a team spirit !" Danny chimed in.

"Alright, Danny, I think Raven got the message, between you and Beast Boy. So how about we drop that pointless arguing and do our best to help a friend in need ?" Sam intervened.

"Just saying…" replied the spiked-hair boy as he raised both hands up, in the "non-guilty" attitude.

"Right, you said it. Now let her be."

"Okay, okay, Sam…" he continued, his hands still raised to indicate he wasn't willing to argue.

Robin looked at Raven, his arms crossed.

"Raven, you may have been wrong to not mention the attack to us, as well as your symptoms, which were identical to the hospital patients. You should indeed have shared it with us. But I don't want to actually blame you, as you're in such condition that we must look for help rather than severely disapprove of you. But we must find out _**how**_ we can help you… because, if I recall correctly what you told us, you haven't found a cure up to now. So maybe Cyborg and Chris can help you get better ? Unless you prefer continuing to search for a cure spell ? But you would at least need some medicine in the mean time, to help you fight exhaustion…"

Boy Wonder then got silent and observed his dark friend, waiting for her reply.

"I definitely will continue checking my books for a spell, but… it's true that my tiredness appeals for some medicine, something that would boost me and prevent me from collapsing from fatigue" she admitted.

Robin nodded and glanced at Cyborg.

"Got it ! I know exactly what to give Raven !" announced the technician _**and**_ doctor of the Titans.

"And I will help you take care of her !" announced the MBC gadget boy.

"Excellent, Chris !" said Sam, before stepping to the empath. "We will do everything we can to have you back, Raven. To get you back to normal. I know we can't help you search your books for the right cure spell, but we can at least help you feel better until we have found a way to heal you. And we WILL heal you, Raven ! Trust me, we WILL !"

"Yes, Friend Sam is right : we will save you, Friend Raven !" enthusiastically added Starfire, in her ever-so-optimistic manner.

"We are all here for you, Raven !" concluded Cathy, smiling at the gothic teen.

The Dark Titan smiled back.

"Thank you everybody. And sorry again…"

Then she turned to Sam and slowly nictated at her, and the latter felt her heart contract upon realizing how terribly tired the powerful sorceress was…

 **:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

The cloaked girl had closed another book ten minutes ago and was struggling to keep her eyes open. She couldn't afford sleeping already. She would try later, but now wasn't the time yet.

A knock at the door.

She got up with some effort and trudged across her room, being just a shadow of her former self.

Cyborg was there, a glass container filled with an orange liquid in his hand.

"Hey Rae ! How are you doing ?"

"Been better… and been worse."

He quickly nodded three times in a row.

"I understand. And I've got your back, now more than ever !"

She weakly smiled.

"Is that something for me ?" she asked, with a head nod towards the glass container.

He glanced down at it and raised it.

"Yeah. It's a mixture I elaborated to revitalize your body and counter fatigue. You naturally shouldn't take it at night, or else you won't get a wink of sleep. So you can start taking it tomorrow morning. And I'm studying the analysis of your organism, from the scanner we made earlier. There aren't any toxins or other unknown substances, so I'm at a loss right now. And so is Chris. But we won't give up. We MUST find a way to have that tiredness first blocked, then annihilated."

"Okay. Thank you very much, Cyborg. I really appreciate and value your help. Your own, Chris's and everybody else's. I'm fully aware of your concern about me. But I'll be alright. I'm pretty convinced that I will find something of help in on of my books. My sixth sense tells me so. I just hope I will find it _quickly_ !"

The large Titan pondered that, then his eyes lit up.

"Is there a way we can help you ? Like, read your books with you ?"

But she shook her head.

"They are written in Azarathian, and none of you would understand anything. Nobody would know what each spell is about, what is its utility. Only me can read Azarathian. And so, I'll be the only one on this task. But thanks anyway. Again, I appreciate."

And she weakly smiled at him.

"Oh. Okay then…" he replied, visibly disappointed.

"I don't want to chase you away, but… I must get back to it. I'm sure you understand."

"Yeah, of course I do, Rae. No problem, really. Well… I wish you good luck, and I hope you'll find something useful ! Good night !" he said in a supporting way, a hand on her shoulder.

She reached out and grabbed his arm, which she gently squeezed.

"Thank you, Cyborg. Thank you very much."

He nodded at her then removed his hand and, after an awkward smile – he was so concerned for her that he felt it difficult to actually smile -, he left her to her own devices.

Arella's daughter slowly walked back to her chair and put the glass container on the table as she sat.

She stared at the orange liquid and briefly hesitated.

But she recalled Cyborg's words ( _You naturally shouldn't take it at night, or else you won't get a wink of sleep_ ) and decided to be reasonable. She already didn't sleep too good, so not sleeping **at all** … that wasn't conceivable !

She let a long sigh out and, grabbing the book she had just started, resumed reading.

Minutes went by, slowly…

… until the beautiful eyes of the gothic girl opened wide, the pupils shrinking in a flash in the center of those mesmeric violet irises !

 _Wait a minute !_

She continued reading and, after two minutes, once she was done with the section that had initially caught her attention, she felt excitement rise within her, like an intoxicating substance spreading through her.

She forced herself to read again the part she had just finished, and as she progressed through it for the second time, she felt that excitement of hers augment gradually !

The dark magician licked her lips, her eyes still goggling as she arrived at the end of the section that had almost taken her breath away.

She wasn't dreaming ! Definitely not !

She had finished reading yet couldn't take her eyes off the two pages opened in front of her.

 _Finally !_

 **:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

"Finally I've found a solution !"

All heads turned in the same direction.

Raven had silently come floating in, therefore nobody had noticed her at first. But when they heard her voice, and realized the importance of the six words she had just uttered… they fully focused on her !

Satisfied that she had their undivided attention, the violet-haired girl quickly glanced around, seeing them leave their current activity and approach her, and waited until they were all still and ready to listen.

Nobody spoke, none of them asked anything. They were all simply waiting for the great news.

Raven noticed how Sam and Robin were staring so intensely at her, clearly the most impatient to learn about "it".

"It took me a long while but I've found a way to counter the effects of the mysterious substance that prevents me from dreaming and thus provokes such great fatigue. I know how to recover."

Anybody would have uttered the last sentence with at least a hint of excitement in their voice, yet Raven was Raven, and she simply let it out in her usual monotone, as if it was nothing else than standard news and not something actually crucial.

"How ?"

The question followed almost immediately after Raven had finished speaking.

The half-demon wasn't surprised by the identity of the person eagerly talking first and asking _the_ fundamental question. It would likely be Robin or Sam, but she would rather have guessed for Sam.

And she had got it right.

The purple gaze met the golden one that was concentrating acutely on the Dark Titan.

"Well… I will need to get extra power supply to do it, but basically… I will have to recreate my body."

All eyes opened wide around her.

"Recreate your body ?" exclaimed Cathy, extremely confused.

"That is possible ?" wondered Starfire.

"You're kidding us, right ?" asked Danny, obviously dubious about the incredible sentence he had just heard.

The powerful female wizard turned an upset gaze towards the Jock.

"Do you seriously think I would be kidding about the process of my recovery ?" she asked sharply.

"Hum… she never jokes, ya know… she's always so serious and stuff…" Beast Boy explained to his new buddy.

"These two are hopeless…" muttered Jinx, shaking her head several times.

The two machos glared at her.

"Hey ! Give us a break, you !" almost yelled Danny.

Raven closed her eyes, feeling herself simmer at such pointless arguing when she was telling her about such important news.

The pink one simply snorted while shrugging and rolling her eyes up.

"Forget about her, Dude… she's such a -"

Raven's eyes reopened wide and her jaw contracted.

"ANYWAY…" she said extremely loud, close to screaming, interrupting the vain quarrel and forcing all of them to pay attention to her and forget about distracting stuff. "I WOULD APPRECIATE IF EVERYONE STAYED QUIET WHILE WE'RE ON SERIOUS ISSUES."

"How exactly will you recreate your body ?"

Raven would have expected Sam to ask this, or perhaps Robin or Cyborg, yet it was Chris who had.

"I will have to use a really ancient spell I found yesterday evening. It will require more magical energy to gradually decompose my body into molecules and recreate it just beside. But I already know how to do it."

"Guess I'll be lending a hand, eh ?"

Jinx was smiling at her, after her question.

Raven smiled back, her eyelids still half-closed because of her extreme weariness.

"In fact… no, you won't ! Sorry, but somebody else will be required for this."

The vertical pupils opened more, slits becoming ovals.

"It **won't** be me to help you with magical energy supply ? Then **who** ?"

The half-demon hesitated to reply. Her teammates knew about… "that", but the Monster Buster Club didn't yet.

But she suddenly recalled that, as new friends, they were worth her trust, and so there was no good reason to hide it to them.

"My emoticlones" she simply said.

Jinx's mouth got ajar, before she regained her composure and reacted calmly to this.

"Ah yes, right ! Didn't saw that one coming ! But do you think they'll have enough energy to do it, Rae ?"

The empath nodded.

"Oh yes, they will, for sure ! They are part of me, but they have their own energy, which is distinct from mine. So, all their energies added to mine will be really enough to have the spell led to fruition."

"Hum… what are emoticlones ?" asked the ever so curious Cathy.

"They are my emotions. They are lookalikes of me, but with cloaks of different colours. And so, each of these lookalikes represents a specific emotion, and has her own powers. And I'm going to require their magical input to have enough magical energy gathered for the spell to be carried to its end. They will help splitting my body back into molecules, and these molecules will reform nearby to create an identical body… but without the nefarious substance in it, and with the ability to dream again !"

"So… these… hum, emoticlones, are clones of yours… and they represent some of your emotions… did I get it all right ?" Chris asked in order to confirm the extraordinary pieces of information he had just listened to… because such singular stuff _**did**_ need confirmation !

"You got it all right, Chris." confirmed the powerful female magician.

"That's just… fantastic !" slowly said the young MBC genius, as he pondered the whole thing, and his blue eyes were lost in the vague as he did, a dreamy smile floating on his lips.

"I immediately felt you were a fascinating person…" Sam spoke up, with an admiring stare set on Raven.

"Thanks." replied the concerned party, smiling wearily.

"And I really hope your plan with those… emoticlones will work, and that you will be back to normal, as soon as possible. Is there anything I... hum, I mean : WE can do to assist you ?" continued the unofficial leader of the alien busters.

Raven slowly shook her head.

"It's kind of you to be willing to help, but this needs to be done on my own, with the help of my emotions. So there is alas nothing anyone of you can help with, sorry."

"It's okay, Raven !" Robin told her. "We will let you perform your spell the way it needs to be performed. But should you need any help…"

"I know, and thank you !" she cut him off, showing him she had understood what he meant.

Then she took a few steps towards the entrance of the common room and turned around to face them once more.

"I've got to go now. I hope to complete the spell as soon as possible, but I've got absolutely no idea how much time it involves until its end. I'll see you all soon, I'm sure."

And with that said, she forced herself to smile, her eyes still half-closed.

"Good luck, Raven ! I really hope to see you back soon, at the best of your physical and magical abilities. Take care !" Sam wished her, a kind, friendly smile on.

Raven nodded at her, her smile growing imperceptibly bigger.

"Good luck indeed, Friend Raven ! I shall wish for your soonest success !" the Tamaranean told her dark friend.

And then everyone did wish her good luck as well, even Beast Boy and Danny, who didn't get along particularly well with her.

Last to speak was Robin.

"I know you will make it, Rae. I have full trust in that spell, and in your powers and your emoticlones'. I can feel deep inside that it will work just fine. We'll all be waiting eagerly for your return. Take good care of you !"

Her smile widened again… and then she turned around and vanished in a swirl of black, as she was too tired to walk to her room… and she needed to spare her strength, as it also would have an influence on the realization of the spell !

"Will she be okay ? And will the spell work ? I don't want to sound pessimistic, but…" hesitantly uttered Cathy, clearly preoccupied, leaving her sentence unfinished.

"Nobody can tell…" answered Sam. "But we must have faith in her and in her powers. I've known her for only so long… but I already sense that Raven is capable of great things ! The kind that are beyond one's imagination…"

 **:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

Raven landed in the middle of Nevermore and, focusing, she sent a mental call that spread in all directions around her.

Two minutes went by, and then several coloured shapes appeared from various directions, up in the sky, and "dived" towards her.

A few seconds later, eight cloaked females looking exactly like her, save for the colours of their cloaks (and one of them wearing glasses), landed more or less gracefully around the exhausted half-demon… depending on what emotion they represented.

Once they were all standing on dry land, they all made a reverence, in perfect synchronization, while Knowledge, the unofficial leader of the emoticlones, greeted Raven on behalf of the whole group : "Welcome, Master !"

"Good morning, everybody ! I will need your help in order to regain my original strength ! The absence of dreams is wearing me down, and I couldn't find a spell to have my brain produce dreams again. So if I can't correct it in this body here… I will need a new body, one able to dream again, and therefore to keep my energy intact !"

"A new body ? That sounds like soooo much fun !" yelled Happy on the top of her voice.

"Less loud or I'll send you straight to hell, loudmouth !" threatened Rage, gritting her teeth and frowning hard at the bubbly emotion.

"Anyway, who would have thought that dreaming would be so important in one's life, eh ?" remarked Brave, her arms crossed.

"And it's also such a poetic activity, which can revive such nostalgic times…" whispered Love, smiling nicely.

"Whatever…" indolently uttered Sloth before yawning.

"Ah ah, that's ol' Sloth, always so damn lazy ass…!" cheekily observed Rude as she picked her nose.

"I find it interesting that dreams are so important while seeming so secondary…" murmured Timid.

"As do I. And we will do everything you ask us to in order to have your body changed. Does that imply creating a new body, out of nowhere, or decomposing your organism to recompose it into a new one, with the addition of the dreaming function in the process ?" asked Knowledge.

"It's the second option." replied the half-demon. "I've brought my book, and here is the spell we'll have to perform. Please repeat my words to enable your energies to be included in the spell."

All emoticlones stretched out their hands and Raven started to read aloud, with them repeating the mysterious words of Azarath.

Once the empath had finished reading the formula, she encased the book in dark magic and did the same with her body, which got lifted up and gained a horizontal position. And while this happened, she never ceased to repeat the sacred words of the ancient spell.

All the fingertips of the grey females surrounding their Master started to glow, each one with the colour corresponding to the related emotion : Knowledge's fingertips glowed yellow, Rage's red, Brave's green and so forth.

And after long seconds, the various colored lights left all fingertips and slowly serpentined down in direction of Raven's levitating body.

Rude's orange glow landed on their Master's right leg, Sloth's brown one on her left leg, Brave's green one on her right arm, Happy's pink glow on her left arm, Love's purple glitter on her abdomen, Timid's grey one on her chest and Rage's red aura on her head. As for Knowledge's yellow energy, it took care of both the empath's heart and brain, which were the most complex structures of her organism, and therefore the trickiest to decompose and recompose.

Soon, Raven's right leg started to dissolve in a myriad of minuscule orange bubbles.

The mass of tiny orange spheres augmented as the leg gradually split into millions of particles.

Those particles floated upward and came to a halt after a few seconds, levitating.

Then they merged, all together, and…

… grey skin slowly reappeared and developed, forming heels, calves, knees, thighs, until the whole right leg was complete, with a blue boot around the foot.

The other limbs were also dissolving into particles of different colours, depending on which emoticlone's energy was making it possible : the left leg disappeared into a cloud of brown molecules, the arms became "seas" of green and pink, respectively, while chest and abdomen turned into purple masses of purple and grey, the head split into countless minuscule red fragments and the two most vitals organs got vaporized in what looked like yellow smoke but were actually yellow atoms.

All those colourful particles rose into the air at a slow pace, and once they had reached the right spot, corresponding to the location of the new body part, they all amalgamated again into their original structure.

The process was slow but by no means tedious.

Raven's organism was thus gradually dividing up, splitting into innumerable miniature pieces, which very slowly reassembled into an whole identical shape… with the difference that, this time, the tiny brain part responsible of dream production was present again !

 **:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE** **:**

 **1._ "Raven took a deep inspiration" : I've found out that 'inspiration' also has the same meaning as 'inhalation' and 'breathing in', but in a more formal way; therefore, 'inspiration' has nothing to do with being inspired by something, in this case… XD**

 **Do we have enough ? Mmmmmmh, lemme check again… oh yeah, over 6'000 words ! That's enough, I guess, uh ? XD Hey, Ana, it's THAT MUCH that ya must type for your next chappy, and not the short 1'000-2'000-words small bunch ! C'mon, move you're a… hum, BUTT and write us sth more expanded, sth longer, sth more ambitious ! SHOW US WHAT YA GOT AND WRITE M-O-R-E !**

 **I hope that was good enough to ya'll, Folxxxx ! Coz I'm personally not so pleased wz this chappy… :/ It's not so frequent that I end up lukewarm abt my own work… but this is one of these times. Oh, I didn't have any Writer's Block (WB), mind ya, but it's just that… hum, dunno, while I could write this in continuity… it just didn't sound as interesting as usual. Or maybe that's just me ? ^^''**

 **Well, anyway, I'm at least satisfied that Raven found a way to counter the effect of the "dreamcatcher" and heal her body. Now… will her spell work… or not ? Seems like it will, given the very last sentence of this chapter, right ?**

 **Okay, time to hand over the mike to my nutty, hyper, funny co-writer. SkyChild101, the dancefloor is all yours, and as I said : SHOW US WHAT YA GOT, GIRL !**

 **Till next time, you all ! Take care and never forget to s-m-i-l-e ! :D**

 **Peace, Love, Ecstasy ! ! !**

 **(Dixxy)**


	9. A Disturbing Event

**A/N:** Hey hey! It's me again! Finally, I have time to write without being pressured or hurried. I'm on my winter break till January 11 T_T but anywho, I've finally managed to drag myself away from all kinds of TV shows on Netflix and online :3 buttt MERRY BELATED CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! HOPE YOU ALL HAD A SUPER CHRISTMAS DAY!

 **(Eight) A Disturbing Event**

 _ **Click, click, click.**_

The sound of the keyboard clicking echoed throughout the room.

At first, said room seemed deserted, but eventually, a shadow was revealed, and it belonged to Robin.

He stopped for a moment, taking a deep breath again, before he resumed clicking away.

There was just this one thing that wouldn't leave his mind… and that was when Raven told them the news.

He _got_ why Raven would keep it a secret, but at the same time, he thought that she was more…sensible. But even though he was still a bit mad at her, he was at least happy that Raven had finally told them.

Apart from that thought, the leader still had another troubled thought bothering him.

That day, when they fought the villain—whatever its name was—, he had placed a tracker on him and he was currently trying to find out where the device was going to lead them. Robin wouldn't be surprised if the villain tried to make them go to a false location, but even if he did, the group would _still_ have gotten some kind of clues as to where the minion's Master was actually located.

Raising an eyebrow, the Boy Wonder continued to type until his eyes widened slightly. There, on the screen, was that red dot blinking…

 **:(/\\):**

Grunts echoed throughout the room and it sounded as though the person didn't want to be disturbed since it was so focused on…whatever it was doing. Sam repeatedly kept on kicking the punching bag, using her feet and arms in all sorts of different ways.

She was already panting hard but she still continued anyway.

The MBC member was merely here to let some steam off. Add that to the fact, she had a certain thought crossing her mind. And that thought just happened to be related to yesterday's events…

When Raven told all of them about her unusual condition.

And speaking about Raven, she had yet to return from her…process, to put it short.

Just thinking about that made Sam put powerful punches and kicks. Her fierce eyes glared at the bag as though it was its own fault.

Sam still didn't understand _why_ the empath had kept that vital information a secret.

Didn't Raven trust them? Why didn't she tell them in the first place?

Another fierce kick was sent to the bag.

It seemed that the more she thought about the yesterday's events the more it increased her…emotions. Hell, she was mad, yes, but it still felt like the Titan had somehow betrayed them…

And that gave an odd feeling to the MBC leader, since it didn't make any sense at all.

The yellow fighter sent one last powerful punch but this time, (even though she didn't mean it), the punch got the bag torn out of its hinges and flown across the room.

 _Damn_. Sam thought, placing her hands on her knees as she panted.

"Um…when you're done beating up the bag, Robin told us—"

The sudden voice made Sam alert and she spun around to perform a round kick. It struck the newcomer, sending him flying sideways before landing on the floor.

Sam gasped as the person pushed himself up and gave a dazed look.

"Oh my gosh! Beast Boy, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean too!"

"Houston…we got a problem." the green one responded, still being dazed. He then shook his head to be back in order. "It's alright. What's a brain without losing a few brain cells? Anyways, Robin told us to go meet him in the living room. Apparently, he's got some info he wants to share."

Sam nodded. "Got it. Be there in a few."

 **:(/\\):**

"Uh, that blinking dot of red means a bad sign?"

The voice grabbed Robin's attention and he turned away from the screen to see Starfire and the rest.

"It means it's a good sign. Remember that day when we fought that…villain?" Robin began.

"Uh, sure."

"Anyways, the villain was on my mind a lot lately and I think its time we go and follow him. Maybe he has some clues about his Master's location."

"Oh yeah, I remember you placed that thingamabob on him. Uh… what's it called?" Cathy asked.

"A tracking device." Robin replied.

"To be honest, I honestly forgot about the villain." Danny admitted.

"Somehow I'm not surprised." Chris remarked, shaking his head.

"So, where's the red dot's current location?" Cy asked.

Robin moved to the side so that the group could see the dot blinking. "In an alleyway. Not too far from here."

Before they could move, Sam had to ask.

"Does anyone know if Raven is done with her… process?" she asked.

Everyone went silent and this told Sam everything.

"Oh…"

"While we don't know about the current process of Raven, I know she is recovering." the masked boy responded.

 **:(/\\):**

The glimmering stars illuminated the darkest place as though it was a sign to give people hope. It was honestly a great night to have a walk in the dark.

A sudden _whoosh_ sound was heard, followed by running footsteps. A shadow was seen, before vanishing.

In a dark corner, several figures appeared but something about them seemed a little off.

If one were thinking of camouflage, then too bad : their suits kind of gave off a glowing light, making the foursome easy to spot. Because of this, a certain person made a certain comment.

"You know, if you want to be hidden, well it's not a great idea to wear glowing-in-the-dark suits." Beast Boy muttered, coming out of the shadows.

"Well, why don't you tell that to your two friends of yours?" Danny asked, giving a slight glare because of Cyborg's blue light and Robin's white mask. "They certainly give off the "glow." "

Cy and Robin glared in return.

"My mask…isn't glowing."

"And it's not my fault that I'm half-machine."

" _Anyways_ ," Chris started since he sensed that a small fight was coming along. "So we're here…now what?"

"I think we should maybe split up. You know…it will be faster that way. Since Star and Beast Boy both have the ability to fly, I think they should take the sky." Jinx responded.

Robin nodded. "Okay, Sam and I will take the roof. Cathy, Chris…you guys take the right side and Cy and Danny can take the left. We will meet back here if the search turns out unsuccessful. Jinx, you will take the upper path."

"Got it." the Rhapsodian replied.

With that, all split apart. Once the two groups were gone, Jinx looked left and right before she ran towards the path ahead of her.

 **:(/\\):**

Star and Beast Boy flew through the silent sky. It was so peaceful that it made those two simply forget about everything and just float.

The green one (who had assumed the shape of a hawk) saw a nearby roof and made his way towards it in order to land. This caused the alien to be curious about it and follow her companion.

"Man…I'm starting to think this search is going to be futile." Beast Boy stated.

"Even if it is going to be futile, I think it will do us some good. Who knows? We might find something that we might have missed." the alien responded.

Beast Boy gave a little shrug. "I suppose."

"Now let us resume our search and let us hope that this mission will be a succ—"

Way behind them, something seemed to be flying towards them at full speed. Thanks to his animal senses, Beast Boy's ears perked up and he turned around, giving out a little gasp.

"Starfire, watch out!"

The changeling pushed the girl out of the way so that he took the force of the blow instead.

Star landed roughly on the ground and immediately pushed herself up.

"Beast Boy! No!"

The falling Titan shouted, but just in time, the boy managed to grab the edge of the roof and as he watched below, he saw that whatever struck him had been smashed to the ground.

"Beast Boy!" Starfire scrambled up and made her way towards her fellow teammate to help him up. However, just as she was walking towards him, her communicator rang and she picked it up.

On the screen was Robin.

"Star…anything to report?"

"Uh…" she started as she walked towards Beast Boy to help him up. "Uh, no. There is nothing to report."

"Huh? What do you mean 'there is—mmfph!"

Star covered the green one's mouth with her hand. Naturally, this raised Robin's curiosity.

"Everything is fine, Friend Robin. Please do not worry about us even though we had nearly been crushed."

"What?"

"Uh… Bye!"

And she cut off the conversation.

"Dude, what was that for?!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "It could've very well been important! And I thought we all agreed to not keep secrets anymore!" he complained.

"I am sorry, Friend Beast Boy, but I think what we need to answer is that is it important to us? Or to them?" Star asked, having Beast Boy to question.

"Huh?"

Star walked in the opposite direction. He followed her and they eventually reached the edge of the roof. Below seemed to be construction machines of all sorts, which all appeared to be activated.

This only raised even more suspicious looks from the two Titans.

"Construction machines? That doesn't make any sense. The workers have time schedule and going with that, they shouldn't even be working right now. Whatever got thrown at us must've been on purpose…to let us know that we're not alone."

"If that is the case, what was the thing that attacked us?"

"I don't know but judging by how it got smashed, I'm going to assume that it was a huge boulder." Beast Boy then got up. "Come on, we have got to find the others and tell them."

As the two took off, they failed to notice that, way behind them, there were yellow narrowed eyes in the shadows, watching them take off…

 **:(/\\):**

Robin raised an eyebrow at the abrupt cut from Starfire's conversation. He felt that was rather odd…especially coming from her.

"Everything okay?" the MBC leader asked, noting how suddenly quiet her teammate was.

"Yeah…everything's fine, though I'm a bit...curious from Starfire's sudden behaviour." He shrugged it off. "Well, um, I'm sure everything is alright."

But even his reassurance didn't ease him at all. What if something _did_ happen to them?

"Well take a look at it this way : at least they're still alive." Sam responded, trying to keep things less intense.

However, she felt that her remark didn't help at all. Noticing the look Robin gave her, she quickly retaliated by changing words.

"Uh, they're still…functioning?"

Another look.

"Heh…do you want to go back or…?" Sam offered as she was being awkward.

"No, I think we should still continue to search. I just hope that they _are_ alright and maybe we would bump into them."

With that, Robin resumed his running, and this left Sam breathing out a huge sigh of relief.

 **:(/\\):**

Jinx ran ahead and occasionally stopped in order to catch her breath. She wasn't running from anything, she was running just because.

 _Whew. Okay, gotta stop to catch some breath_. Jinx thought, leaning against the cold brick wall.

So far, she hadn't found anything unusual much to her disappointment and she was beginning to wonder if this…search would be useless in the end. She just hoped that the search would prove something… otherwise, she would begin to have doubts about Robin's actions…but at the same time, his plans had ceased to amaze her.

She shook her head and, after she caught her breath, the pink-haired sorceress began to walk.

Just as she took a step, a small _whoosh_ sound came, and it made Jinx halt in her tracks. The Titan turned around and narrowed her eyes as she scanned up ahead, trying to find out where that noise came from.

After having no such luck, she merely shrugged it off and turned around to resume walking…

 **:(/\\):**

Hour after hour, their mission was…unsuccessful. This only made everyone, especially Robin and Sam, befuddled about it.

"Anything at all, guys?" Sam asked.

"Nada." came Cy's voice.

"Nope." Jinx.

"Nu uh." Cathy.

"No and I think someone needs to order a bed. Star here decided to use a streetlight as her bed." Beast Boy then showed the alien who was indeed sleeping on what seemed to be a bent streetlight.

"Well," came Robin's sigh. "I suppose we should all head back to the spot we all agreed upon."

Everyone signed off and they all went to said spot, soon reuniting there.

Once they reached it, Beast Boy gave out a yawn and rubbed his eyes.

"Can we please just go back home? I need my beauty nap." he whined.

Sam rolled her eyes and ignored him. "I was honestly hoping that we would at least find something."

"I know. Me too." Chris said.

While they were talking, Star looked down at her hands since she was still holding the communicator. However, she suddenly got a questioning look since the device was…blinking _red_.

"Huh?" she softly said.

She tore her gaze away and squinted her eyes to see what lay ahead of her, then went back to the furiously blinking red dot; again, she looked up ahead and repeated the same process until she decided to walk in that direction.

"…let's call it quit and go back…Star?" Robin suddenly asked as he just now saw Starfire walking passed him.

The group stopped what they were doing and continued to gaze at the young alien.

Starfire reached her destination and the only thing that was heard was the red blinking dot.

The heroine kneeled down and continued to gaze at a spot which had caught her attention.

"Um, is everything alright?" Jinx questioned.

Starfire finally found what she was searching, took it, placed it inside her hand and finally got up so that she could meet the group's curious gazes.

"I believe I know why our search was unsuccessful."

Since no one answered, she continued not by talking but by simply extending her hand out to reveal the object.

Robin walked towards it and grabbed it so that he could bring it up to his face. Sam followed him shortly and she automatically recognized what it was.

"It's your tracking device." Sam announced.

A sudden loud slam was heard and everyone twirled around to see Danny who had just punched his fist into a wall.

"Don't you guys see?! Everything was done on purpose! The villain was _playing_ with us. When we were battling him, he _knew_ that he was losing but he also _knew_ that Robin was going to place a tracking device on him. So he of course let him do that. We were pawns in his game. The villain _knew_ that we were still searching for its Master's location." Danny replied, letting everything out.

Silence.

"I'm assuming that, out of your group, you're not the one to have a brain, so going with that…congratulations on making something that makes sense!" Jinx replied, giving a cheeky smile.

A glare.

"And that's why our mission was fruitless." Chris said.

"I think everything just got a whole lot complicated." Cy groaned.

Robin sighed. "Assuming what Danny has just said is right, let's just head back to the Tower. Obviously, we aren't going to get anything done tonight. And it's useless anyway."

Just as the group was heading back, Starfire spoke.

"Out of all the bad things, I know of news that is good.

"Which is?" Cathy asked.

All eyes were on Starfire who had a happy look.

"Friend Raven will soon have made her recovery!"

 **A/N:** Ah ha! Nine pages in total! Not bad, I say ^^ So Dixxy, what did you think of the chapter's extension? Hehehe…but aweh, too bad their search was futile and all because of that damn villain…sneaky! Anywho, toodles!

(SKYCHILD101)


	10. A visit to Nevermore

**Hello !**

 **As I start this new chapter on January 13th (yeah, I know, delay, delay, delay… blame it on my effing workload, eh !) , I'm still sad and still find it hard to admit it…**

 **He was my second favourite musician, one of my top artists, a man I really revered and one of the few people in Music's realm I deemed worth of the term 'genius'…**

 **I will really miss him… we all will… but if his body disappears, his memory and his music never will : they shall exist eternally within our memories, hearts… and ears, naturally !**

 **Thank you with all my heart, Mr Bowie ! And welcome back to the stars, where you initially came from… dear Stardust ! Respect forever.**

 **Yes, I'm really sad that David Robert Jones (his real name) left us…**

 **But he will live for eternity through all his songs and film parts, so he won't completely die for us all. And I'm going to purchase THE NEXT DAY and BLACKSTAR real soon. I kind of owe him that, somehow…**

 **I hope you all are well, and in case there are Bowie fans in the audience… I tip my hat at them !**

 **Okay, time to continue this now long-delayed story…**

 **Enjoy !**

 **:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

 **(NINE)_ A VISIT TO NEVERMORE _**

 **:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

Rebuilding a body…

What a long, complex, demanding task…

The DNA is indeed of unbelievable intricacy, and it took four hours for the full process of Raven's reconstitution to be completed.

Four hours during which the eight emoticlones used the entirety of their power to help their Master be « born to life again ». And Raven herself did focus all her energy as well to reach that goal, because she refused to let her emotions do it all : she had to dedicate her fair share of efforts to her « recomposition ».

Four hours may not seem that long… but when you spend them emptying yourself from all your energy… that's another story !

As soon as Raven's organism got its finishing touch, the empath opened her eyes… and the exhaustion that had been building up inside of her fully took effect, imprisoning her organism in a huge wave of tiredness and unexpectedly wearing her out completely in only a few seconds.

The drained half-demon collapsed to the ground of her inner universe, unable to control the suddenly heavy mass of her body.

But she didn't experience this brisk fall on her own : all of her eight emoticlones crashed to the ground as well ! They were just as terribly tired as their owner !

The violet-haired Titan turned around to take a look at her fallen emotions, breathing slowly and deeply, visibly exhausted.

"Are you… alright... girls ?" she said with effort, asking it to all of them yet staring only at Knowledge, as she was their natural representative.

"We are… just… drained… Master… just like you… because we granted… so much energy… for your organism's recomposition… and that energy loss… thus made us… weak… that's why we fell… like you…"

Raven could see that Knowledge was panting, as were the other seven.

"But… it doesn't matter… that we are so weak…" slowly continued Knowledge "…because… what matters… is that… we did it for you… to save you… and saving you… is the most important… thing to do… so if we have… to suffer for that… then so be it… we are happy… that you can… benefit from our efforts… so no matter… the side effects…as long as we've… reached our goal…"

Raven rested for a moment, her eyes staring straight into Knowledge's, who stared back at her, then she decided that she should teleport to her room, on her bed, to rest for a while and thus recuperate.

She slowly moved, trying to sit up…

…but she immediately felt her head spin !

 _Oh gosh, it's definitely more serious than I thought…!_

"Master ! What is… wrong ?"

Love's tired voice seemed to come from very far away…

"I… I'm feeling…"

But Raven couldn't finish her sentence : dizziness claimed her whole organism and engulfed her in a black whirlpool of nothingness, as her body collapsed, unconscious…

 **:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

"I can't believe he realized about the tracking device ! I mean, that thing is so small… how the heck did he find out about it ?" half-screamed Cyborg, who was always upset when technology was challenged or even outdone by the mind.

"Perhaps he has some extra-sensory powers which enable him to detect any outer element on his outfit…" suggested Chris.

"That or maybe the tracking device fell by itself, who knows…?" proposed Danny.

"How could it have ?" asked the robotic teenager.

"Hum… maybe it wasn't fixed well enough on the bad guy's body…"

"Those tracking devices have the highest fixing potential in hi-tech gear… therefore is it unlikely that it would have fallen like that !" informed Robin.

"Man, how I hate it when technology doesn't work as expected !" again complained Cyborg.

"Dude, you've been whining over it enough ! Give it a rest !" criticized Beast Boy.

"But you know how Friend Cyborg is so fond of technology, do you not, Friend Beast Boy ? So it is logical that he is frustrated about the unsuccess of the technological trick…" said Startfire, out of empathy.

 **(A/N : here, the word 'unsuccess' is made up by Starfire, as she isn't aware it doesn't exist in English… it's not me using by mistake a non-existent word ! Just saying…)**

"Personally, I would be just as unpleased if one of my Rhapsodian tricks didn't work. So I understand how Cyborg feels…" admitted Cathy.

"And I do sympathize with you as well !" added Jinx.

"Thanks, girls !" said the large Titan, feeling a tad better from seeing all that support around him.

"Don't mention it !" replied the pink-haired heroine. "And looks like the girls have more solidarity and empathy than the boys, mmmmh ?"

She had crossed her arms and was smiling in a teasing way, not looking at her two "adversaries"… but knowing they were currently frowning at her.

"Whatever…" muttered the spike-haired teenager.

"Yeah, what he said…" backed up the green boy.

Jinx didn't breath a word, settling for a mere mocking snort.

"Okay, okay. We're now back at the Tower. Time to get some rest, but also to go see what becomes of Raven. To know how things are going for her, if she found the solution and how it's working…" announced Boy Wonder.

"I will go find her, if you don't mind…" softly proposed Sam.

"And I would like to accompany Sam…" said Jinx, before turning to the one involved and finishing her utterance : "…if that's okay with you, naturally."

The African-American nodded and looked at Robin for approval.

"Alright, you two go find her and see how she is !" agreed the Titan leader.

A few seconds later, Sam and Jinx were walking side by side in the corridor leading to the rooms, with the MBC leader back in her regular clothes.

"Do you think she will have succeeded ?" asked the black teen.

"Difficult to say…" admitted the grey teen. "But you know, Raven has many resources, and an immense knowledge in magic and spells, so her powers shouldn't be underestimated…"

"Oh, I sure won't ever underestimate her. If anything, I rather greatly value her magical skills. She does impress me. Each one of us has his or her own powers or weapons, but Raven is definitely the one I find most fascinating !"

Jinx nodded.

"Yeah, I had understood that you were attracted to her."

Then the pink witch realized the misleading nature of that last expression and hurriedly added : "Hum, attracted to her as a _**friend**_ , I mean… as someone nice and interesting, that's all…"

The usually cheeky teen was feeling slightly uneasy, but Sam's reaction reassured her.

"Sure, I know. I had understood it that way." said the golden-eyed female after laughing.

They soon arrived in front of Raven's room.

Sam looked at Jinx, not sure about who should knock.

"Go ahead !" simply said the grey one with an inviting hand motion towards the door.

The black one took a deep breath, slowly raised her hand, curled it in a fist and hit the cold metal twice.

Silence welcomed them.

Sam knocked again, but thrice, this time.

Still no answer.

That worrying silence couldn't be good.

The yellow member turned to the former criminal, visually sharing her concern about Raven not reacting.

"I don't like it neither. Let's open it and check !" decided the girl with the vertical pupils.

They weren't that surprised to find a deserted room, given the precedent silence.

"So she went away to perform her spell ?" asked Sam.

"Most certainly. I thought, like you, that she would do it in her room, but I can see I was wrong…" replied Jinx.

Then the alien hunter noticed something on the bed and, after stepping closer, leaned forward to grab it.

Jinx turned her head just in time to see Sam gaze into the depths of Raven's magical mirror.

"NO !" she screamed, starting towards the African-American.

But "too late is too late" : a black mass had filled the mirror… with two crimson slits right in the center, peering straight into the black female's golden eyes !

And just as the pink-haired girl reached for her friend, black tentacles sprang out of the cold flat surface and wrapped in no time around the body of the alien buster.

Jinx tried to pull Sam backwards, but the magical hold was far too powerful.

And a second later, other tentacles rushed out of the mirror and imprisoned Jinx's body as well.

"Dammit ! We're toast !" yelled the former H.I.V.E. student as she realized that even her hexes couldn't give her the upper hand over their assailant.

"But what are these things ?" screamed Sam, who for once lost her legendary self-control and reluctantly allowed panic to take over in her body and mind.

"I'll explain you lateeeeeer…"

The tentacles had just dragged the teens into the unfathomable depths of Raven's inner universe !

Black vanished from the surface of the mirror, and the later fell back onto the bed… an apparently common object that had become, in a few dramatic seconds, a boundless prison…

 **:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

Sam got up from the ground and walked over to Jinx, who was just pushing herself up.

"Did I do anything wrong when grabbing that mirror ? I didn't know that it would yield… _that_ !"

"It's okay, Sam. You couldn't have guessed that it was in fact a magical portal, and that you shouldn't look in it. It's not your fault."

But that didn't seem to make her interlocutor any better.

"Yeah, but if I hadn't done it, we would have been brought here… I feel really bad about doing it…"

"Easy, Sam. I told you that it wasn't a big deal, because you didn't know. Anything's forgivable if one isn't aware of the dangers. So don't feel that sorry, don't blame yourself about that… okidoki ?"

That word made Sam look up and meet the pink gaze. Doing so, she noticed that the hex master was smiling at her.

"Okidoki ?" she asked.

"Okidoki. It's a variation of 'okay'. I made it up, because ya know… I sometimes end up getting bored to always behave always the same and say the same things…" explained the ex-thief, still smiling.

Sam smiled back, but after a few seconds, regained her serious composure.

"So… where are we exactly, here ?" she inquired.

There were in an orchard, with a hill close-by.

"This is Raven's inner world. Her mind, if you prefer. It's called 'Nevermore' and harbours eight emotions which have the exact same appearance as Raven, except that each one has an outfit of different colour. These emotions are called 'emoticlones' because they are **emoti** onal **clones** of Raven. Each one has her own territory in Nevermore."

Sam was doing her best to absorb all these bits of information and understand it on the spot, to avoid having to ask Jinx to explain it again.

"So… you're saying that those… hum… emoticlones look exactly like Raven ? They are grey-skinned teens with cloaks, leotards and boots, and each one has her own clothes colour… did I get it alright ?"

The other girl nodded.

"Pretty much. And now, we will have to find one of them to ask her to help us outta here. But we must be careful not to find the bad emoticlone…"

"The bad emoticlone ?"

"Yup. You see, Sam, while almost all of those emotions are nice, one of them, called Rage, is hostile, because she embodies Raven's anger, and thus is constantly angry. And should we step into her domain by inadvertence…"

Jinx left her sentence incomplete, but Sam could easily complete it in her mind…

"So what do we do exactly, now ?" asked the MBC fighter.

"I propose we walk to the top of that hill over there and try to visually locate an emoticlone. I don't know on which emoticlone's domain we are right now, but it definitely isn't Rage's : hers is dark and has a volcano in the middle, Raven told me once. So I don't know who lives here, but we will try to spot her. And if we cannot, and there's no one around, then we will have to call for help."

Her friend nodded and both then walked to the top of that neighbouring hill.

There was a grassy plain further ahead, and a bit further, another tree-planted hill.

But definitely no one in sight.

Which was exactly what Jinx had somehow foreseen.

"Alright. Then we'll have to call..." she said with a slight resignation perceptible in her tone.

Sam shrugged, knowing they had no choice left there.

"HELP ! ….HELP ! …..HELP ! …HEEEEEELP !"

 **:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

Knowledge was exhausted, like the rest of her sisters, but none of them had passed out, unlike their Master, who was now lying unconscious a few feet away.

The emotions were simply resting, motionless, waiting for their magical powers and their energy to slowly return. The least they moved, the quicker they would "recover" from their temporary exhaustion.

Most of them had their eyes shut. Only Rage and Knowledge hadn't (even the resistant Brave had decided to close them for a while). They were resting on the grass, breathing slowly as they allowed their force to gradually return, and looking into each other's eyes every now and then, as the red-clad body was right across the yellow-clad one.

Everything was silent, until…

"Knowledge…"

The deep demonic voice made the addressee's gaze get back to the four red eyes of anger's embodiment.

But at the same time, the ears of the glasses-wearing emotion were alert, as they had picked up something, and her mouth slightly opened as she focused on it.

"You hear it like me, don't you ?" asked Rage, but it was purely formal, as she already knew that it was the case.

The other emoticlones had also perceived it and were wondering about it.

"Someone's calling for help…" quietly said Timid, voicing out their common hearing.

"So somebody **dared** to sneak into Nevermore ?!" half-asked half-said Brave on a clearly outraged tone.

The others knew their green sister well enough to conclude that she was suddenly very impatient to recover her energy… in order to kick the intruder's butt !

"But they're calling for help… perhaps they're not bad guys ? I couldn't identify who it was… but what if it's one of our friends, who got reluctantly dragged to Nevermore ?" pertinently observed Love.

There was a short moment of silence, the others pondering that last utterance.

And then, Knowledge voiced her validation of Love's hypothesis.

"That's indeed possible. Yes, it could be, after all ! Let me focus a bit…"

The Yellow One hadn't recovered enough energy to fly or use magic, but enough to at least focus her magical senses on the origin of the caller. She was the most powerful of them all, so if one emoticlone would be able to start using magic again after being drained from her energy, it was definitely her !

"Jinx and Sam ! But what are they doing here ? Did they get here by accident or did they come here to look for Master ?" she wondered.

"I'm too weak to go meet them…" observed Happy, who was… unhappy about that fact. "Is anyone here now strong enough to fly ?"

She got only headshakes or negative replies.

"We're too damn weak to fly, moron !" scolded Rude.

"I'm even more tired than usual…" lazily remarked Sloth.

"So, what do we do ? We must show them where we are !" pointed out Rage.

Eyes lit up behind glasses.

"Let's all focus the little energy we have then send a signal in the sky, one that can be seen from far away. Each one now focus her own energy, then you'll follow my lead !"

Knowledge may have been opposed to being called 'the unofficial leader of the emoticlones', but that last sentence showed that, whether she liked it or not… she WAS indeed their leader, even if it wasn't openly stated and not admitted by the concerned party.

Every emotion closed her eyes and did her best to gather as much energy as she had available in that moment, and once they had reached the right level, they reopened their eyes and…

"Ready !" firmly announced Brave.

"Ready !" enthusiastically shrilled Happy.

"Ready !" softly said Love.

"Ready !" impolitely yelled Rude.

"Ready !" lazily drawled Sloth.

"Ready…" shyly whispered Timid.

"Ready !" dreadfully growled Rage.

"And ready !" wisely concluded Knowledge. "Now raised your hands to the sky and let your energy flow out !"

They all raised their grey hands and allowed the gathered power to come out.

And in the next seconds, eight columns of light, each of a different colour (matching each emotion's colour of cloak), were reaching for the clouds.

"Maintain the flow ! Jinx and Sam must see this, and since they may not immediately spot our rays, we must keep them up for a moment !" instructed the Yellow Cloak.

"We're gonna get damn pooped…" remarked Rude in a loud voice.

"We have no other choice, halfwit !" grumbled the most dreaded of all emoticlones.

"Hey, watch your mouth, Four-Eyes !" retorted her offended interlocutor.

But Rage's snarl indicated her well enough that she was about to overstep the boundaries… and that it was worth putting things in balance before making the next move !

That was the end of it : no one ever continued arguing with Rage after she had let out one of her threatening throat rumbles !

 **:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

"Nobody's answering… just fine, really…" sarcastically commented Jinx, using a speech mode that Raven had a particular fondness for.

"I guess we'll have to search the land in order to track down one of those emoticlones you mentioned…" concluded Sam, who was about to start walking right in front of her.

But before she could…

"LOOK !"

The golden eyes turned in the direction the pink witch was pointing to… and widened !

There, behind a hill, not that far from them, were eight colored "pillars"of light, rising to the clouds.

It looked as if a rainbow had gotten split into separate colored rays, no longer bent like in the rainbow but now straight.

"What's that ?" asked a perplexed Sam.

"Not a clue, but since nobody is answering our calls for help… that's definitely where we have to head to !" replied Jinx.

Not thinking twice, the pair started to run in direction of those coloured rays.

After a long while, they climbed the hill and, peering on the other side… they goggled !

There, lying on the grass, were no less than **nine** cloaked females, with outfits of different tones : blue, yellow, red, green, pink, purple, grey, orange and brown.

Eight of them had one of their arms up, with a coloured light rising from them and directed at the sky, the last one lay unconscious close-by.

The eyes of the pink emotion were the first to catch sight of the newcomers.

"Heyyyyy, that's Pinky and Blackyyyyy ! Welcome, girls !" she yelled.

"Will you just quit screaming, you silly pot !" barked Rage.

"Woopsy, sorry !" apologized the bubbly one in a quieter yet still enthusiastic tone.

But Rage's glare didn't diminish in intensity. Yet the menacing girl didn't tell her sister off again, satisfied with the other immediately obeying.

The emoticlones lowered their arms, one after the other, the coloured rays vanishing as they did.

"You're Raven's emotions, aren't you ?" asked Jinx, inwardly expecting a confirmation – she had never seen them, but Raven had told her about them.

"We are." confirmed Knowledge, as she briefly smiled at the pair of heroines coming to meet them.

Then she turned to Samantha.

"Please excuse Happy for calling you 'Blacky' earlier. She didn't mean to offend you. She just speaks so spontaneously, without thinking, that she sometimes risks to actually hurt one's feelings. But she definitely respect black people, I swear."

Sam showed a gentle smile.

"It's okay. No offense taken, really. Hum, and so you are Raven's emotions ?"

"We are indeed !" replied Brave.

"But why are you all lying on the floor like that ? And where is Raven ?"

"In order to cure Master from her impossibility to dream, we had to actually reconstitute her organism. Or, put differently, build a brand new organism for her. And to do that, we had to decompose her body into molecules, which served as material basis for the creation of a new organism. This operation takes a certain amount of time, but more importantly, it requires a substantial quantity of energy. Master isn't powerful enough to be able to perform this magical operation by herself, as it demands much more power, so we all provided our energies in addition to her own, and this enabled the spell to work. We did recreate her body. But then, once it was over, once she was complete again, she suddenly felt too weak and lost consciousness. And since we also got weakened by the power input, we also fell and weren't that far from blacking out as well. We now all need to rest here, until our energy is back at its usual level."

Knowledge then observed the girls to know if they had understood all of it, and got ready to answer some potential questions of theirs.

"I think I get it…" the MBC "frontgirl" said. "That explains your lying around all over. But where is Raven ?"

"Here !"

Love was pointing her forefinger at the blue-cloaked female lying unconscious.

"Uh ? It's Rae ? Damn, I thought that it was another emoticlone, dressed in blue like her ! My bad !" admitted Jinx.

"You're pretty cool when you cuss… Pinky !" teased Rude.

The addressee snorted and joined Sam, who had hurried to the Azarathian.

"Raven ? Raven ? Can you hear me ?" gently asked the African-American, as she held up the sorceress' upper body part, supporting it on her bended leg.

Jinx was leaning forward, anxious to see the purple-haired girl come back from unconsciousness's black hole.

After long seconds of waiting, and another call from Sam, the grey eyelids finally moved, but not without some effort.

And a few more seconds later, the violet irises could see their surroundings anew.

"Raven ! Thank God, there you are with us again ! How are you feeling ?"

The violet gaze, obviously tired, moved to the golden one.

"Mmmmmmh… hi Sam… you came… to look for me ?"

"Yes. And Jinx is with me. We were concerned about your absence. And then we got sucked up in here through your mirror, that had been left on your bed."

"Oh… okay…"

"You look exhausted !"

"I don't only _look_ : I _**am**_ !"

Sam's face was the canon expression of worry.

Raven saw it and understood how anxious her new friend had been for her. Hence did she feel the necessity to comfort her.

"But I'll be okay… don't worry… Sam…"

The gothic girl weakly smiled.

Her vis-à-vis couldn't help smiling back, despite her concern.

"Look, Rae, we must carry you back to our world. How do we exit from here ?" intervened Jinx.

Raven slowly closed and reopened her eyes.

"I'm sorry… but I'm too weak… to teleport us out… and I don't think my emoticlones… have enough energy left… neither…"

Her purple orbs turned to the identical ones behind glasses, a subtle manner to require a reply to the underlying question in her last utterance.

"I'm sorry to admit that you are right, Master. We didn't have much energy left, and we used a bit more in order to produce energy rays that could lead Sam and Jinx here. So we are still too close from exhaustion to focus a sufficient quantity of power for a teleportation… We apologize for that, Master."

Knowledge just hated it when she couldn't find solutions to problems… but alas for her, this was one of those situations, and she was indeed helpless, for once.

"It's okay… you don't have to… feel sorry… you've all done… an outstanding job… in reforming my body… and showing Sam and Jinx… the way to this place… so I thank you all… for your excellent work…"

Then Raven laid her eyes back on her two friends, here to rescue her.

"We will have to… get back through… the forbidden door… It's a gate between… Nevermore and… the real world… To find it… you must… always head south… and you'll find… a passage… leading to the… door…"

"Alright, but in which direction is south in here ?" inquired Samantha.

Raven wanted to answer, but a wave of tiredness crashed upon her spent body and words lacked in her mouth.

So, instead, she closed her eyes and, at the cost of an usually demanding effort, she stretched her arm and pointed her finger in the right direction, but her arm immediately fell back down, as if it had suddenly turned into lead.

"Oh my gosh, you're really exhausted, Rae !" exclaimed Jinx. "And so are you are you all !" she added with a quick glance around.

Nobody reacted to that, but none of them inwardly disagreed…

"We have to carry Raven to that door, and once back in the Tower, have her brought to the infirmary, where Cyborg and Chris will look after her !" explained the MBC leader, once again the one to speak out the decisions and devise the plan, the way she always did when on mission with her own team.

She bent down and, grabbing Raven's arm, put it around her shoulder, getting ready to lift her.

The Badlucker hurried to her side.

"Wait a second, Sam ! Please put her back down ! I know what to do !"

The alien hunter did so, and the pink-haired female bent down, put her arms under Raven's knees and top of back, and focused her energy.

She lifted her without any apparent effort.

"Isn't she too heavy for you, Jinx ?"

"Nope, to me, Rae weights as much as a feather ! Besides, being half-demon like her, I've got unusual strength that help me carrying easily things… and persons !"

She winked at her interlocutor.

Sam snorted and nodded, then turned her eyes to the emoticlones, who now had all positioned themselves so as to watch the two friends as they talked to their Master and then lifted her to carry her back home.

"Can we do anything to help you regain your energy faster ?" she asked the group.

"Ooooooooh, that's so sweeeeet of yoooooou !" shrilled Happy, who gulped shortly after as she heard Rage's warning growl directed at her.

"Very sweet indeed…" said Love in her soft voice, as she smiled and slowly nictated.

"You rock, Sam !" exclaimed Brave, putting her thumb up at her.

"Thank you very much for your concern, Samantha, but you alas cannot be of help regarding this matter. We shall just have to wait here until our energy levels have reached their usual mark. But again, thank you so much for your willingness to help us. That is extremely considerate from you, and we all appreciate it !" explained Knowledge.

"Good return to the Tower…" whispered Timid.

"And thanks for paying us a visit !" joked Rude.

"' Yup, 'xactly…" uttered Sloth in an even slower tone than usual.

"Take care of Master… and of yourselves as well !" concluded the deep demonic voice of Rage, who flashed an all-too-rare smile at the pair of rescuers.

Sam and Jinx smiled back, pretty disconcerted at seeing the most menacing of Raven's emotion unexpectedly smile… which, Jinx knew from Raven's explanations on her emoticlones, was something she never did ! The red-clad one must have had real consideration for the two of them – Sam and herself – to allow herself that exceptional smile…

Then the African-American and the pink-eyed half-demon set out for the forbidden door, impatient to get Raven to the infirmary, where she could rest all the time needed for her to be back to her best condition…

 **:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

Cyborg was talking to Chris in the medical unit of the Tower when the door opened and all other teams' members entered.

"So, how is Raven ? Is her condition improving ?" questioned Robin, a dead serious expression on his features.

The Titan Tech faced the group.

"Oh yes, it is ! Her vital signs are all positive and her energy level is rising, slowly but surely. She should be soon back among us, but that should still take at least another day, if not another one. It's difficult to predict exactly _when_ she will wake up from her healing trance. But, given the progression of her power gauge, I don't think it should take more than two days."

"Oh that's so great ! I'm so happy that she will soon be back with us !" chirped Cathy, a huge smile lighting up her face.

"That is indeed excellent news for Friend Raven !" added Starfire, looking just as joyful.

"And we have another good news !" continued Chris. "Do you see this ?"

He was pointing to an indicator where a regular blue line progressed to the right, with small intermittent variations.

"This measures her cerebral activity. And it shows normal data for a sleeper. **Totally** normal data."

He had emphasized the word 'totally' for a good reason.

And his black teammate was the first one to guess.

"Do you mean that she's…?"

She left her sentence incomplete, but Chris knew she had got it right.

"Yes : this means that Raven is cured… and that she's dreaming again !"

 **:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

 **Good Lord ! This is now February 3** **rd** **… which means it'll have taken me a good three weeks to pack that chapter ! Oh gosh, that's a bit too much, isn't it ? But the progression of my work was impaired by adverse elements… needless precise which ones, since it's always the same story…**

 **So, finally a positive ending, eh ! Raven's spell worked, and our favourite gothic girl is on the way to definitive healing. How cool is that ? Let's just hope none of the others will be affected (i.e. attacked by the "dream-thief")… And wouldn't it be great if they managed to finally capture their enemy – that is, the one who steals away people's dreams, not the Big Boss, who for now remains in the shadows…**

 **Oh, and about this line from Jinx : "** I sometimes end up getting bored to always behave always the same and say the same things **", it actually refers to my own knack for originality, taste for difference, fantasy, imaginative mind, and basically the need to walk away from routine, habits, customs, conventions, to make things in another way… my OWN way ! ;)**

 **Once again, let me express my deepest sadness about David Bowie's demise. He was of the rare artists I called 'genius', coz Goddammit, he definitely was one ! An authentic genius, who explored many, many paths, be it in music, in looks, in arts (he wasn't just a musician !), in his invented characters… he tried (and often succeeded in) so many things, he achieved so much success in so different musical universes… in one word, he constantly re-invented himself, and there are (almost ?) no artists who did it as much or as good as him ! Hats off, Mr. Bowie ! May your soul rest in eternal peace !**

 **I'm sure that Ana, as for her, will grieve over Alan Rickman's death, since he was part of the Harry Potter franchise, and given how much she loves HP… isn't it, Ana ?**

 **And now is your turn again, Ana !**

 **Bye 4 now, Audience ! All take good care of yourselves !**

 **(Dixxy)**


	11. Last Minute Saving

**Author's Note:** *takes deep breath* HI GUYS! So, Dixxy had finally managed to update the story, whoop de whoop! And nowww, feast your lil peepers on this chappy! Sit back and relax and enjoy the show! ^^

 **(Ten) Last Minute Savings**

Ever since Raven made her reappearance in Titans Tower, things went back to normal, needless to say. The atmosphere no longer felt intense or saddened. In fact, even the useless arguments between Cyborg and Beast Boy had actually eased everyone's minds, much to their surprise…

Even though, there was one time when Jinx wanted to send them to another dimension BUT even _she_ let it slide.

Danny raised an eyebrow as he eyed the half-tech guy and the green dude.

"Are you _sure_ this is normal?" he asked.

"Oh, indubitably! This is their way of expressing their friendship." Starfire replied… then gasped. "Bad Silkie! Put that down!"

And Danny made an even blanker look. "And I thought our team was weird…this one is beyond weird."

Jinx and Star threw glares at Danny who gave a sheepish laugh. Jinx gave a little shrug after that.

"And to be honest, I would rather hear them arguing rather than having Cyborg complaining about that stunt of the track device…" she said.

Star gave a glance at their leader who seemed to raise an eyebrow and she glided towards him. "Friend Robin…your mind does not feel at ease. Please tell your friend the concern."

Robin shook his head a little. "I'm just still puzzled as to how the villain managed to figure about the device, that's all. I guess that's just one of the mysteries that won't be solved."

Starfire nodded. "Yes, while it is puzzling as to how he knew, try not to think about it that much. It does not do well for the mind or otherwise you will become wrapped up in the mysteries yourself."

Robin gave a faint smile. "I'll try not to."

 **:(/\\):**

Night had fallen, sending people into slumber.

Well, there were a few who did _**not**_ go to sleep...

A sudden _whoosh_ came and then a silhouette landed on the ground. It narrowed its eyes before a beeping noise came, alerting the figure.

"Commander K174, how are you doing on this fine evening?"

"Drop the act, Beast Boy!" the voice from the device exclaimed, making Beast Boy squeak with startled fright. "Really, must you always make an unnecessary comment?"

Beast Boy smirked a little. "It's what I do. You know what they say…you gotta do what you gotta do."

"Yeah and I'll be sure to send you to another dimension!" Jinx started before Beast Boy could speak. " _Anyways…_ I'm just passing the message from Robin and asking if your area is clear. If so, we can turn in early for the night."

"Yeah, because 12 AM is _soooo_ early." Beast Boy sarcastically said. And he could almost _feel_ Jinx scowling. "But, my area is clear. I'll meet you back at the Tower—"

Beast Boy suddenly paused and stopped as he felt a sudden breeze passing by him. He sharply took a look behind him and glared at the dark path.

"Beast Boy? You still there?" Jinx's voice rang out.

"Uhm…I'll call you back later. I just need to make sure my facts are true." he replied.

"Huh? Wait, what do you—"she started, but he cut off the communication just then.

His ears perked up and he transformed into a cheetah, just in case. And he began to sniff, following the path ahead of him.

 **:(/\\):**

Jinx grumbled, twitching with anger. If looks could kill, the poor device would already be crumbled.

 _Damn, Beast Boy. How dare he cut off the communication!_ Jinx thought, angrily. But then she thought about how he did it so suddenly… almost _urgently_ … as though…as though he sensed trouble!

But he said his area was clear. Yet again, who's to say that it can't change?

Going with her instincts, she called Robin.

"Robin here." came a croaked voice.

"Er, yeah, it's Jinx. I'm not totally sure but I think Beast Boy may be in trouble. He said his area is clear but when he cut off, it sounded as though there was going to be trouble." Jinx reported.

There was a short silence.

"In that case, we better check it out…just in case." Robin replied. "I'll meet you at Beast Boy's area. Perhaps he is still there—I'll warn the others."

Jinx nodded. "Copy that."

And the communication broke off.

 _Even though you can be an idiot, Beast Boy, I still don't want you to be harmed. We're coming for you._

 **:(/\\):**

A rustle from the cape came before he landed on the ground. The narrowed eyes outlined with black looked around before he decided to make its move.

"Beast Boy?" he spoke, quietly.

Robin paused in his tracks and as though he sensed that someone was there, he turned around and got ready.

"Ease. I'm on your side." the voice spoke, and out of the shadows came Jinx.

Relaxing in a flash, Robin eased up and put his birdarangs away.

"Did you find anything?" Jinx responded.

"No. The last time I followed his signal, it ended here. It's as though he disappeared." Robin answered. "But my guess is… he went inside that abandoned factory." he replied, showing said factory ahead of them.

Jinx nodded. "Alright, let's move."

Once they reached the factory, Jinx snapped her fingers and from the snap, the door fell down.

"This is the place alright." Robin announced.

"Whatever. Let's just quickly find him. This place is creepy." Jinx said.

"Funny. I thought you like creepy." he smirked.

The girl sneered and the two walked further in, their footsteps echoing in darkness.

After what seemed like an hour, the two were disappointed that they couldn't find anything.

Not even their teammate, which naturally worried them.

Where could he have gone to?

Jinx rubbed her temples as though she felt stress coming to her body. "I don't get it. You said the signal ended here so _where_ could he be? This doesn't make any sense."

"You're telling me. I know my evidence isn't wrong or otherwise I would've known."

Jinx shot him an annoyed look. "Well, great detective skills…"

Robin glared. "Who I think we should is call Cathy and see if she can sense—"

"Hate to disappoint you but… jammed signal." Jinx replied, showing her communicator.

"Fantastic."

"That's too bad because you're never going to see your friends again!" another voice came, and this immediately made the two be on alert.

"What—"

A noise was heard, followed by Robin's command "Jinx, move!" As soon as he said that, Jinx sent out a wave of her power while Robin threw two disks and they both leaped in the air to avoid the blow.

The intruder chuckled. "Not bad moves for amateurs."

Jinx quirked an eyebrow as she got into a fighting stance. "Amateurs? Who are you calling an amateurs?!"

"Easy…" Robin said.

The figure grinned. "But it's going to take a lot more than just your measly tricks."

"You want to test that?" another voice unexpectedly asked.

At first, they couldn't see who had spoken, but as the shadow came closer, a familiar person was revealed, who brought his two fists down in an attempt to crush the villain, but the enemy swiftly moved out of the way, and thus the attacker struck the floor instead.

"Cyborg!" Jinx exclaimed.

"Sorry I couldn't get to you sooner. Before I had the chance, my signal went out and I couldn't communicate with you."

"Yeah, we had the same problem." the masked boy replied.

Cy narrowed his eyes and stared at the odd foe. "Now what do you say we take out this wacko?"

Jinx smirked, cracking her knuckles. "Idea accepted."

"Then it's your funeral." the foe replied, walking towards them menacingly as he cracked his neck.

But before he could even attack, something struck at the villain's side, causing him to fly out of sight. The newcomer then bowed and a dull light covered his body which soon transformed back into human.

Realizing who it was, Jinx's eyes went wide.

"Beast Boy!" she exclaimed before frowning. "Where the hell have you _been_? You made us worry with your disappearance!"

Beast Boy gave a sheepish grin. "Sorry. I was checking out this place and man, it's creepy."

And soon, the rest of the members joined the team.

"Sorry we're late." Sam said.

The villain growled with annoyance. "Now that all of you are here, I can kill you!"

He sent out his ninja stars and threw them towards the two groups of heroes just as Robin said "Titans, go!" and Sam "Let's bust them !"

Everyone leaped out of the way and soon, the room was filled with green starbolts, purple and yellow streaks, followed by a blue one, and explosive ones too.

The villain ran forward, with our heroes not too far behind him.

Sensing that something was released, the brute quickly jumped in the air and the objects struck a nearby pole, creating smoke.

The fiend moved the smoke out of the way and soon were green starbolts aimed at him, but he quickly dodged them, proving that he was a persistent foe.

To others, it felt like they were playing cat and the mouse. The adversary would be the mouse while the rest of them were cats and it seemed like a never ending game.

That was until Cathy saw an opportunity and she instantly extended her arms out once she got to her targeted spot, reaching out to both sides, each hand grabbing the two poles.

Jinx then aimed her power at the ground so the villain would tumble… and he did just that! Then Robin threw his rope, tying him so that he couldn't get away.

The foe struggled, trying to be free but it was futile and the minute he saw shadows on the floor, he looked up and saw the narrowed looks from the members.

 **:(/\\):**

"Tell me who you are working for!" Robin demanded, staring sternly at the captured enemy.

Naturally, the latter stubbornly refused to answer any of the leader's questions.

"I say nothing. I am loyal to my master. I'll never betray him. You can keep me here as long as you want, I won't say _anything_." the tied up opponent responded.

Robin gave one last stern look before he felt a hand on his shoulder so he gave a glance.

"He's right, y'know. Let's just call it a day and come back later." Cyborg said.

Robin stared into the villain's eyes with a straight face before he finally let go, giving a nod.

"Fine."

As the two walked out, Robin gave one last glare at the foe who in return, gave a nasty sly smile which made the leader think that he was perhaps planning something.

Something bad.

 **:(/\\):**

"Duck, duck…goose!" Starfire exclaimed happily as she gave a pat on Danny's head who groaned.

"Ungh, dude. I'm tired of this game." Danny complained.

"So…do you play mega monkeys?" Beast Boy asked, his eyes sparkling with delight. "Or maybe car racing?"

Danny raised an eyebrow and sighed. "I'll just be in the gym." he replied, bluntly.

"Gym, huh? You sure he's not going to collapse from fatigue?" Jinx asked, watching the boy from the distance.

"Knowing Danny, he's probably going to sleep instead of gym." Sam responded before giving an angry growl. "Ugh, that does it!" she exclaimed. "I can't fix this thing! Chris, I need you!" she whined.

"What's the problem?" Chris asked once he was there.

"My blaster stopped working when we were battling the guy. My guess is that the circuit is either fried or overheated." she answered.

Chris opened the blaster with a screw driver from Cyborg and gave a look. "Well, you got it right. The circuit's fried…well, one of them is but don't worry we can fix it. If you take this red wire out, replace it with a new one and attach it to this one…" he ranted, only to receive blank looks.

"Right uh…do you speak English?"

Chris huffed.

After following certain steps, a _whir_ sound was heard followed by a click.

"And there you go! Purring like a kitten." the blue-haired genius announced.

"Thanks!" Sam said happily as she took the blaster.

While the rest of the group was chattering away (even Robin, who managed to forget work for once), they didn't realize that something bad was going to happen in their Tower.

In the jail, the foe struggled to get loose. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem but because the damn leader took its weapons away, it was taking longer than usual. He muttered angrily as he kept on moving his hands around the rope.

"Come on…"

Eventually, he felt the rope starting to loosen…

 **:(/\\):**

Robin sighed, putting away the newspaper as thoughts kept developing within his mind. He eventually gave up being relaxed and walked towards the door. And as Cyborg spotted him, he automatically knew what he was going to do.

So, the Titan Tech didn't try to stop his caped friend, as he knew that even if he tried to, that wouldn't change Robin's mind.

 _Stubborn kid_. Cy muttered in thought.

The minute he turned his head away, his face was instantly met with a controller.

The object fell into his hand and his forehead now bore a large red spot.

The half-robot teenager gave a glare at the two sheepish boys.

"Uhm…heh, watch out for flying controllers?" Beast Boy replied, laughing nervously.

"THAT DOES IT!" he yelled. "If you can't handle a bloody controller properly then don't bother holding one at all!" he exploded.

"In my defense, this time it wasn't me!" the green one replied.

And the two argued.

If Raven had been there, she would've snapped at them, but since Jinx was here to take her place, she did just that.

"ENOUGH!" she screamed.

 **:(/\\):**

The fiend resumed his struggling but then stopped when he heard the sound of the door opening. He wasn't surprised when he found out that it was the leader, back for more.

 _He never learns…_

"Back again? I thought you were the smart one out of your group." he remarked.

Robin narrowed his eyes and placed both of his hands on the table. "You know why I'm here and you're going to answer me."

The fiend gave a sly smile. "Not if you can catch me."

Following that unexpected challenging utterance, the villain suddenly got up and quickly lifted the chair with his foot to then throw it at a goggling Robin.

Acting quickly, Robin twisted his body to the side, and the chair flew past him by few inches. Once he rotated back properly, the chair got smashed, but when he brought his attention to the spot, he noticed that the enemy was gone.

With that, Robin punched the red button on the wall and a loud alarm rang at once throughout the Tower.

Naturally, this alerted the rest of the upholders of the law, who all stopped what they were doing.

"What's going on?" Sam asked.

"I don't know but it spells out trouble." Cy said, before opening his communicator : "Yo, Rob. What's the trouble?"

"The villain has escaped! Find him and make sure he doesn't get away! Be careful not to be hurt, as well as avoid damaging the Tower!" Robin answered before signing off.

"The Tower will definitely be the first thing on his mind! No one damages my Tower!" Cy exclaimed. "Titans, go!"

Everyone went out of the living room, but the minute they did, they gave a startled jump once they saw a figure making a harsh impact on the floor.

"Can someone please explain to me how he managed to escape?" Danny wheezed as he felt the air knocked out of his lungs.

"You saw him?" Chris questioned, helping him up.

"Yeah but I think I lost him."

"Alright, team. Here's what we will do. Sam, Cathy, Chris and Danny…you guys go to the other side of the hallway and we will take the left so that when we come together, we can all deliver one big blow." Cy instructed.

The MBC members nodded.

"Right. Alright team. Let's go and kick some bad guy's butt." Sam proclaimed, readying her blaster.

 **:(/\\):**

"So, how do you suppose our baddie escaped?" Danny asked, twirling his blaster around his finger.

"I don't know. It could be anything." Sam replied. "He could've had his weapons or had a trick up his sleeve."

Chris frowned. "But Robin had taken away his weapons." He then paused. "Unless perhaps he adjusted the ropes somehow?"

Sam shrugged. "Could be."

Cathy stopped walking as though she sensed something… and as she turned around, her eyes widened!

"Jeepers! I think it found _us_." she exclaimed.

With a jerk, the three members turned around, with their weapons activated, and all aimed at the enemy, who wasn't too far from them.

The foe smirked. "You got that right."

With that, he sent out several ninja stars towards, which they all dodged, but as for the last two stars, Sam had barely enough time to avoid them. She twisted to the side to dodge the oncoming star but the other weapon managed to knock her blaster out of her hand.

"Hey! Careful with that thing!" Sam shouted before charging towards the villain by going to the side of the wall and running from it. Once she was about half way, she took off and started to make a kick but the foe grabbed her ankle, throwing her to the other side of the wall.

She collided hard against the concrete surface.

The others went into action but they all went unsuccessful. The last one to get hit was Chris who received a kick in his chest, causing him to fly backwards and crash against Danny, who was right behind him. The two fell like dominoes, giving out a grunt.

"Man, I admit. He's tough." the brown-haired boy responded.

As the guy was about to prepare the attack, something else came in contact with the prisoner. A green starbolt hit him from behind, sending him forward until he crashed into a wall.

"Friends!" Starfire exclaimed, flying over to them. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine. It's just that this villain is being persistent." Sam responded.

"Well we better catch him fast before he does any more damage to the Tower. Man, just look at the walls!" Cy complained.

"And before he does any more damage to **us** as well."

The fighters turned around and they all stared with wide eyed.

"Jeepers, Rob. What happened to you?" Beast Boy asked.

Robin was battered and a little bit bruised; his outfit has some rips here and there.

"It doesn't matter." he said, dismissing it.

"Indeed it matters! I wish to have my friends be all in one piece!" Starfire replied, examining him.

"Really, Star. I'm fine." Robin replied, trying to get away from the watchful eye of his friend. "I may have a plan on how to stop him." he announced.

"Too bad you won't be here to perform it!" the prisoner exclaimed, throwing his weapons.

"Titans, move!"

And they continued to throw their attacks. However, wanting to finish this, the foe quickly scanned his current field and smirked.

Knowing that there would always be at least two people behind him, he first threw two ninja stars behind, pinning Danny and Chris to the wall.

The opponent then ducked under to avoid Robin's side hand swipe by moving to the side, then he quickly grabbed the leader's cape and yanked him to the other side, towards the wall. Once he was close, the enemy immediately threw another star, trapping Robin as well.

He quickly finished by knocking Beast Boy, Cathy and Starfire.

Jinx turned around and gasped. "Cyborg!"

Her call came too late and the villain was about to make his move. Jinx started to perform hers, but before she could release her attack, some black aura suddenly wrapped the foe and the next thing he knew, he was thrown away from Cyborg.

The teams blinked from the sudden attack and they all turned to the side since they heard a voice.

"Show's over." a new voice spoke.

And the members found themselves staring at two angry eyes glowing white.

"Raven!"

 **Author's Note:** Whooooo! I did it! I got a longer chapter! *confettis, streamers and balloons* I'M SORRY FOR THE LOOOONG WAIT School's been acting up and I got two projects being due soon! :3 fun. So yeah…and now I leave the next chapter to dear ol' Dixxy! Take it away, Dixxy! Toodles!

 **(Skychild101)**


	12. The half-demon and the demon

**Greet's, Guys !**

 **Alright, Ana having (finally…) updated this common story of ours, I guess I don't have any more excuses for further delaying this new chapter. I just wanted to finish my current CHECKMATED ! chappy before returning to INLAND EMPIRE. And now i'm ready to pick-up the thread where my partner (in storywriting, NOT in crime ! XD) left it hanging !**

 **Before we begin, Folxxxx… here's a little « hats off » of mine ! I therefore take my hat off to the Smashing Pumpkins, whose double album MELLON COLLIE AND THE INFINITE SADNESS is suuuuuuuch a masterpiece ! I honestly dig that double LP, and even the hardest stuff (the more hard rock / heavy metal songs) I have begun to really like… even if said hardest stuff hasn't got my preference ! But yeah, that magnum opus is a real gem : what's especially remarkable about it – and that's certainly one of the main reasons of the fans' worship – is the alternation of energetic/violent tracks with softer, calmer tracks (ballads). The Pumpkins clearly have punk/hardrock/metal roots, but it was already clear in SIAMESE DREAM that they are able of composing mellower stuff, more melodic matter. And the mix of hard and soft on MCIS (as it is nicknamed by fans) makes me love that double album to no end ! And of all the double ones I've listened to – including the Beatles's WHITE ALBUM and Pink Floyd's THE WALL, which are such rock cornerstones ! -, MCIS is definitely my favourite ! Thanxxxx a bunch, Billy, James, d'Arcy and Jimmy !**

 **Long live the Smashing Pumpkins' music !**

 **And that was it for the intro.**

 **(*crack knuckles*)**

 **And here we go again, Buddies !**

 **& joy !**

 **::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

 **(ELEVEN) _THE HALF-DEMON AND THE DEMON_**

 **::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

"Rae ! You're back !" screamed Jinx, a smile of triumph having replaced her threatening glare and grimace of anger.

The empath was hovering in the doorway, arms stretched towards the enemy, eyes glowing white, clenched teeth appearing on the left corner of her mouth.

"Raven ! Are you alright ?" asked Robin, which was naturally the first question to ask, given that the team hadn't seen their dark friend for hours and hours now, and were concerned about her condition, as well as wondering when she would come back among them all.

"I am. But I will be _more_ than alright once this troublemaker is out of the picture !" she replied, her eyes remaining on their foe as she talked.

"Glad to see you back, and in top condition, Raven !" Sam told her new friend.

"Thank you !" answered the Dark Titan, who still didn't take her eyes off the bad guy. "Pleased to be back among you, and especially at the crucial moment ! And now, it's time to defeat that bastard !"

Chris, Cathy and Danny, who didn't know Raven that much, didn't react to the last word, but all Titans plus Sam (who had got to know the Azarathian in the last days) were surprised at Raven's use of such a word as 'bastard', since she barely ever used such language, even when angry. She would only do it if pushed to the extreme, i.e. under Rage's influence, or if she deemed the enemy particularly contemptible.

"Easier said than done, Titan witch ! I've got you once, I can…"

And suddenly their adversary swiftly threw his hand forward and dark sharp objects came out of his palm and rushed towards Raven, as he screamed the end of his sentence : "…GET YOU TWICE !"

But the empath had been really nimble in her reaction, immediately creating a large dark shield before her, against which the fast "missiles" crashed.

She briefly took a glimpse of the magical weapons that now lay on the floor, and instantaneously recognized the objects… since one of these had hit her on the roof and thus been the cause of all her recent health trouble !

"You took me by surprise the first time, but now I'm prepared and more alert than I was back then. You'll have a hard time "getting me twice", as you so nicely put it…" she ironically said.

The sarcasm in her voice hinted well enough that she indeed was back to her top condition, like Sam had said.

"We'll see, really ! I, Zeeron, have defeated enough powerful adversaries to be confident about beating you !" he retorted with a hideous grimace of hate on his features.

And with that, the evil being started jumping around and simultaneously casting more projectiles, hoping he could trick Raven's vigilance and manage to hit her.

But after her extended absence, and the complex process of recreating her body, the sorceress's powers and promptness in fight seemed to have been enhanced, and she thus protected herself without apparent effort, easily preventing all sharp objects from touching her as she moved her shield this way and that way, following the minion's movements.

The demon eventually stopped and stared at the half-demon who could block out all his attacks.

He glared hard at her, pure hate in his stare… but then he narrowed his eyes and a smirk found a way to his lips.

"Mmmmmmh… you're pretty good at protecting _yourself_ …" he began, emphasizing on the last word, and this gave her a clue as to what he may have in mind, before he continued : "…but are you as good when it comes down to protecting… _your friends_ ?!"

 _Exactly what I guessed_ , quickly thought Raven, before she saw him swiftly turn around to face both teams, rapidly raise his arms and throw his sharp missiles at Robin, at the extreme left !

But the empath, having guessed it right, had already taken action, and…

" _Azarath, Metrion, ZINTHOS_ !"

… a black wall materialized in front of Robin.

Zeeron frowned at the renewed readiness of his adversary, and how fast she could parry his blows, but he wasn't throwing in the towel yet. And, as he kept casting his dark projectiles, he moved his hand to the right in a circular manner, to try to hit any of the others standing there in line.

But Raven had once again forestalled his action and adopted the adequate strategy : the black wall extended to the right, covering all the distance in front of all superheroes and thus protecting them one after another, blocking in time all the projectiles, which the dark power outpaced.

The hellish being let out a long yell and lowered his arm, before turning back to the sorceress.

"Fucking demon scum !" he spat between gritted teeth, as his eyes sent daggers to her.

Behind him, the long dark wall vanished, as Raven deemed the threat was gone… at least for the time being.

"Glad I **can't** make your day !" she retorted, smirking.

That infuriated him even more, made him breath rapidly and heavily, and glare at her in an even deadlier manner if possible.

"I wish I could kill all your friends and then rape you time and time again !" he told her on an icy tone.

This time, she stopped smirking and narrowed her eyes at him, while her jaw contracted as she gritted her teeth hard out of wrath.

Zeeron raised his hand once again and some kind of energy bolt, resembling lightning, formed in it.

"DIE !" he screamed and started the movement to cast the bolt forward…

…when a powerful blast hit his hand and cancelled the attack !

The monster made an about face and his mad look stopped on a certain self-confident alien fighter, holding a weapon in his direction.

"And the Danny scores again !" proudly said the young green-eyed boy.

"You little…!"

Zeeron gathered energy in his palm and put his hand up to throw it…

… but another shoot prevented him from doing that !

"My time to score !" yelled Sam, partly with irony, her blaster aimed at their common enemy.

"You little bitch !" the latter yelled, quickly preparing another onslaught… but just when he was about to launch it at the MBC leader, a powerful blue ray got him !

"And booooOOOOyaaaaaaa !" shouted a triumphant and smiling Cyborg, his armed arm (XD) stretched towards the fuming monster.

"I'll destroy you all !" bellowed the dark minion as he raised his hand for the umpteenth time…

…and for the umpteenth time without result, since it was this time a green starbolt who prevented him from launching at least one attack !

"You shall not harm any of my friends !" said the Tamaranean, her eyes glowing green.

The ugly foe looked at her then at the rest of them, his feverish gaze going from one to another, expecting a new blow at any time from whoever of their groups.

He quickly made a last attempt by turning around as fast as lightning and casting an extremely swift missile…

… but, wrapped in a pink aura, the flying weapon missed Raven and crashed against the wall !

"Oh, such bad luck, what a pity…!" said a fake-sorry voice.

Zeeron met the pink defying stare of a smirking Jinx, hands on her hips, in her typical taunting attitude.

But then the foe caught something out of the corner of his eyes…

…something getting pretty fast at him…

… and the minion jumped aside, just in time to avoid Cathy's stretchable arms to wrap around him !

"Oh Jinkies !" let out the disappointed Rhapsodian.

The evil creature opened its mouth and dark grey spheres rushed towards the pink MBC member.

Raven hadn't expected this to happen and reacted a tad too late… but fortunately, like all Rhapsodians, Cathy had exceptional reflexes and she swiftly stretched her legs both up and apart at the same time, thus creating a hole through which the magical projectiles flew.

The black shield put up by Raven appeared in front of Cathy right when she was dodging the attack, the grey spheres going in the middle of her stretched legs.

Yet before Zeeron could try again, he received a first shot from Sam's Sonar Blaster and, almost immediately after, a second shot from Chris's Double X.

He fell hard but soon enough jumped back on his feet, his eyes casting deadlier-than-ever looks all around him. But he wasn't stupid and, although he usually was pretty self-confident, he could tell when odds weren't in his favour.

And in the current situation, they **weren't** in his favour.

He realized that it would be better to lure them outside of the Tower and, after giving them the slip, skillfully hide away from them and attack each of them, one by one, from the rear. That way, he had very good chances to kill several of them… if not _ALL_ !

"Give it up ! We're outnumbering you, and probably outmatching you power-wise ! You can't win against all of us !" Robin warned their adversary.

But Zeeron's glare unexpectedly vanished to be replaced by an evil smirk, as he narrowed his eyes.

"As I said before : we'll see…" he slowly spoke up in a mocking voice.

And before anyone could react to that defiant utterance, the monster who stole dreams turned around and took off in direction of the nearest door.

"Oh no, you're not leaving !" screamed Jinx as she cast an hex at him.

Yet the hellish breed made a leap at the wall and… ended up stuck on it !

The pursuer's eyes widened as they stopped to better take in the incredible thing : the enemy stuck to the wall, like a fly !

But the short moment they were taken aback at the sight was enough for Zeeron to crouch and swiftly creep away on the wall, like a cockroach would have !

"Damn ! I can't believe it !" was all Beast Boy could utter.

"Nevermind believing it ! He's escaping !" yelled Sam as she hurried first after the dream stealer.

The whole gang followed, but Raven was the fastest of all, used as she was to rush through the air.

She arrived in the common room just in time to see the demon run to the picture window, swiftly raise his hand and throw an energy bolt at the large see-through surface.

An explosion of glass ensued, with tiny shards also flying into the room, forcing all chasers having entered the common room to stop and raise their arms in a protective reflex… and there it was, the big hole enabling the fugitive to leave the place where he was captured and defeated for the first time ever !

Raven had cast her arm forward, but the black tendrils issued from her hand couldn't grasp Zeeron : he had dived off the edge two seconds before they reached his spot !

"You should have done this quicker : you would have caught it !" complained Danny.

"Excuse me for paying attention to the glass shards blown away by the explosion and therefore protecting my face from them, like all those present certainly did…" commented the sorceress, half-sarcastically half-acrimoniously.

"You'll apologize for what you said, Danny. I swear you will. But later, since we must continue chasing that nuisance !" Sam exclaimed, and turning to the empath : "Raven, is there a way for you to teleport us all or make us fly with your powers ?"

"I've got even better than that." replied the Azarathian, and then, addressing everybody in the room : "Please quickly gather around me, and we'll hurry after that… bastard."

She had used the insult after remembering what he had told her earlier about raping her.

They all obeyed and stood as close as possible to Raven, in a compact group.

The female magician then opened up her cloak, which floated up and quickly grew bigger… and once the cloak came down, it covered all her friends… and made them vanish from sight !

"And now, let's find that scum !" she whispered to herself, and took off, flying through the hole opened by their antagonist.

Raven could make out a large-size flying creature some distance ahead, and sensing it was Zeeron, she sped up and gradually reduced the distance between the two of them.

Her eyes shone white and a stationed car, therefore empty, was encased in black and lifted off its spot, up in the sky, where it arrived right behind the flying scourge.

Raven made a quick downward nod and the car brutally knocked down Zeeron, who let out a horrible howl of pain mixed with surprise and anger.

While the car returned to its parking place, the Dark Titan made a swift dive towards the fast-falling foe, this time reducing the distance pretty quickly.

The winged monster managed to regain control over his falling body and, turning to his adversary, he opened his mouth to cast the same grey spheres he had sent at Cathy back at the Tower.

But Raven was both very observant and agile in battle, and could most of the time dodge the incoming projectiles… which she once again did.

Zeeron cast more spheres, but Raven moved so apace above him that she could avoid all the small spheres without too much effort.

"My turn now !" she whispered, and white rays left her eyes at lightspeed, leaving Zeeron almost no time to react.

He indeed got hit by them, and time for him to recover from the attack, his eyes widened at the large black ball rushing his way !

His body crashed hard into the concrete below, and after Raven had landed a short distance from the impact, she opened her cloak and a large black area appeared around her, out of which stepped all her teammates.

"Jinkies ! It was pretty cold in there !" exclaimed Cathy.

"You'll get used to it, you'll see…" Jinx told her.

"And where were we exactly ?"asked Chris.

"That, you'll have to ask Raven…" replied Cyborg.

"Time to focus : he's coming out !" warned Robin.

And indeed, Zeeron was slowly climbing out of the small crater created by his crash.

"You little pests ! I'll take care of you once and for all !" he spat out, wrapping them all in his hateful gaze.

Raven positioned herself for a spell, hands up in front of her face, but a voice by her side drew her attention.

"Leave it to me this time, Rae ! I wanna have fun too !"

She quickly eyed a smirking Jinx and nodded, taking her arms down yet still remaining ready to intervene, just in case things didn't take the turn imagined by Jinx.

Both of Zeeron's hands lit up, suddenly filled with energy, and he lifted them in a flash in the heroes' direction.

"YAAAAAAAAH !" shouted Jinx exactly at that moment as she released the energy she had just focused inside her hands.

A pink aura appeared around the energy bolts and their trajectory got slightly modified, which had the welcome result – though _**un**_ welcome for the minion… - to make them crash in buildings behind the two teams, thus failing to injure any of them.

"Nah nah nah, really not your lucky day, is it ?" mocked the Bad Luck Charm on her most sardonic tone, a large smirk stretching her lips.

"You little bitch ! I should also rape you as well, after that bloody hooded witch !" yelled Zeeron, feeling his anger return as he saw his onslaught cancelled for the umpteenth time that day.

The pink-haired Titan growled at the insulting comment, her jaw contracting out of anger.

"I'll show you, piece of crap !" she shouted as she quickly gathered a huge amount of energy and sent it in the shape of a large hex.

But her opponent had also launched an attack, and both attacks crossed close to the thin grey-skinned teen, as Zeeron's was faster than Jinx's.

"AAAAAAAAAAH !" cried the girl with the vertical pupils as she collapsed, hit right in the middle of her chest by two red rays she hadn't seen coming, because of their speed but also because they had been somehow masked by her big hex. Those rays originated from the monster's own eyes.

"Jinx !" exclaimed Sam as she ran to her fallen friend.

Meanwhile had the minion been taken down as well by the enemy onslaught and he lay on the concrete after the shock.

"I'll be okay. It just burns a bit, nothing serious. Go and knock that swine down for me, 'kay ?" the pink Titan told the black MBC member.

"You can count on me for that !" energetically replied the latter, before briskly standing back up, transforming her blaster into the alien flasher in the blink of an eye and shooting at the nefarious winged creature standing opposite.

Zeeron dodged the first three shots and threw his hand forward…

… Raven sensed danger and raised her arms in a flash…

… Sam started to move in direction of their enemy …

… loads of dark crystals left the foe's hand…

… black energy formed around the empath's hands…

… the MBC leader raised her weapon and pressed the trigger …

… the dangerous sharp "missiles" got closer and closer…

… Sam leapt to the side and forward, in order to avoid the fatal dark crystals…

… because Sam made that move, she found herself outside of the black energy shield which was rising in front of both teams…

… and she therefore ended up as the only team member left unprotected from Zeeron's attack !

Raven hadn't noticed that Sam had moved to the side at the last minute, busy as she was creating the shield rapidly, and thus didn't know that her dear friend wasn't within the safe boundary of the magical protection she had put up…

Once the shield was up, a black circle formed right under the violet-haired enchantress and the cloaked silhouette sank right into the ground, with the hole then shrinking and shrinking until it disappeared.

A cruel smile of triumph showed up on the thin cruel lips of the minion as he heard the scream of pain and saw he had finally managed to deal a serious blow.

He slowly put his arm up and another of those energy bolts started to grow in his hand… grow… grow… grow until it reached a large size.

His arm came backwards as he got ready to throw the bolt at his fallen victim, but right then, a faint noise behind him made him turn around…

…and the cruel smile vanished from his lips while his adrenaline level shot up, as a grey hand brutally grabbed his throat and immediately pressed it firmly !

And he even got more scared when he looked at the sorceress's face : where two normal eyes used to be, there now were four red openings, four "lava pits" boiling with wrath's blaze, and below were the bared teeth, gritted so strongly that it may have been almost hurtful.

And fear reached still another level when Raven spoke.

"You have just harmed my friend Jinx, harmed innocent citizens by stealing their dreams, insulted me when mentioning my rape, insulted my friend Jinx when calling her a bitch… that's enough ! I will make you pay for all this ! And the price of your punishment will be extremely high !"

That deep voice… resembling a huge monster's voice… or perhaps a demon's… how on Earth could she use it ?!

Behind the now imprisoned minion, the black shield came down, and soon the others started running towards Raven… and a scream soon torn the air : "SAAAAAAM !"

It was Cathy .

The four red eyes of Rage turned to the direction the shout had originated from… and widened as they saw the African-American sitting in an awkward position, holding her side and wincing in pain, her golden eyes set on Raven and her prisoner, more preoccupied by what her dark friend was doing than by her own actual condition.

"Sam ! Are you okay ?" asked the deep demonic voice, showing that Rage worried for Samantha's condition.

The eyes of the black-skinned female opened wide when she heard that low voice and saw the red eyes. It sure reminded her of that emoticlone in Nevermore, but how come Raven… ?

Astonished by that phenomenon – just like were Cathy, Chris and Danny, who all goggled at the cloaked girl -, Sam didn't answer to the question she had just been asked.

Although in a difficult situation, Zeeron judged that the sudden "distraction" was welcome, so he closed his eyes… and waited.

Raven-Rage turned back her attention to her prey.

"And now, you miserable creature…"

That's when her enemy opened up his eyes… and two red rays hit the half-demon right in the middle of her face, on the bridge of her nose !

"AAAAAAAAAAAAH !" yelled the deep frightening voice just as the grey hand let go of the foe's neck and held the burnt skin of the nose.

Immediately, Zeeron put his hand to said neck, drawing long breathes in, but he knew he couldn't take too much time to assess his condition, as the creepy being haunting Raven's body wouldn't be down for long. There was just enough time to escape, especially given the now approaching heroes, with only Cathy and Chris remaining behind to help Sam (Danny wanted so bad to kill the one who had done that to his friend that he had joined the Titans).

The minion therefore put his hands in front of him and focused.

An interdimensional gate opened and enlarged pretty rapidly, to become a man-sized circle showing fog beyond its limit.

The livid sorceress, whose wrath level had suddenly risen to terrible heights, spotted the magical passageway and her features got misshapen into a horrible grimace of fury, as she clenched her jaw hard.

Zeeron started to run for the gate, knowing he wouldn't have the upper hand for now and judging it would be better to return later and take his adversaries down one by one, probably during the night.

He was about to enter the gateway when black tendrils wrapped around his arms, legs and trunk and began pulling him back.

"Damn witch !" spat Zeeron, as he quickly gathered energy inside his eyes.

But Raven had this time forestalled the attack and a black shield appeared around her, and then she made quick and precise gestures that led to the tendrils' full immobilization of Zeeron's body, two dark spheres pressing against his dangerous eyes and eventually flattening over them to prevent any further attack.

Yet short before being immobilized, the dream thief had just enough time to make a brief gesture in direction of the passage still waiting for him.

Raven-Rage hadn't noticed it, but now that she was done with Zeeron and turned her red eyes on the gate, she saw the effect of that tiny gesture she hadn't seen.

The magical gateway was shrinking rapidly, about to vanish from view !

The Dark Titan sensed that the realm of the minion's evil Master was beyond that passage, and if the latter disappeared… would they still be able to find and destroy the main antagonist ?

Acting fast as lightening, the empath directed her hands at the quickly receding circle and recited her mantra : " _AZARATH, METRION,_ _ **ZINTHOS**_!"

The dark power flew from her hands and positioned itself right at the limits of the diminishing passageway, thus creating a black circle inside against it and preventing its further shrinkage.

The four red eyes glowed intensely and a demonic growl could be heard, as Rage threw all her energy into the effort.

The dark power slowly pushed back the side of the gate, forcing it to enlarge again, and the entryway to the hostile world regained its original size by constraint.

" Friend Raven !" screamed Starfire as she looked at her partner in levitation.

The four red eyes turned towards her, and noticed that all of them were now there, Chris carrying Sam in his arms, the poor leader keeping an hand over her injury, but presently more concerned by Raven than by herself, and Jinx holding her burned torso yet focusing her attention on the Azarathian as well rather than on her own condition.

"Rae, what's this ?" asked the Bad Luck Charm as she glanced at the gate forcefully kept open.

"The passage leading to Zeeron's world ! Hurry inside, quick !" replied Rage with Raven's voice.

"Hum… but…" started Danny.

"NOW !" shouted the cloaked female. "I can't maintain this open forever !"

And as a sudden confirmation of that, a mysterious power enhanced the energy level of the magical gate, which began taking over on the dark power and made the gate start to shrink back, slowly but surely.

"It's… getting smaller… we must… go… !" said Sam with difficulty, wincing in pain as she spoke.

"Sam is right !" exclaimed Robin. "Let's get in there fast !"

They all did so, as the gateway continued its gradual shrinkage, despite occasional black energy surges briefly reversing the movement to expansion before the diminution resumed.

Once they were all on the other side, in the mysterious enemy universe, Raven sent the imprisoned Zeeron inside as well, leaving only herself to follow them all.

The four red eyes morphed back into two purple ones again as she put her hands down.

The dark power suddenly disappeared from around the gate and the shrinkage continued at higher speed.

The body of the empath morphed into a large raven constituted of black energy, and the latter took off in direction of the now really small passageway.

Swirling extremely rapidly, the dark bird shape curled up to take up less room, and it dove through the tiny circle just in time.

The entry of the parallel world vanished from view, leaving both teams in a threatening universe where the minion's Master, now aware of their intrusion in his realm, was henceforth waiting for them…

 **::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

 **And cut !**

 **Waow, that one did take me quiiiiiiite some time ! But, as it regularly happens, I couldn't write as often as I wanted to… but it's finally there, and I do hope you enjoyed it ! If not… then… (*** **rub forehead*) … ah, damn, whatever ! Even geniuses like me can miss one day, right ? (XDDD)**

 **It wasn't so evident to find the right sequence of events in this one, but here it is at last. And now, our friends are in the hostile environment where their** **real** **enemy is. Time for the real thing, guys !**

 **Ah, and any idea where that "mysterious power", which enhanced the energy level of the gate and forced it to shrink again, actually came from ? What could be the source of it ? Any suggestion ? ;)**

 **And time to "hand over the mike" back to dear Skychild101 ! Break's over, Girl ! Time to move your… fingers on those computer's keys again !**

 **A huge hug to all Damon Albarn's and Smashing Pumpkins' fans !**

 **Take care & be happy, Folxxxx !**

 **Peace, Love, Ecstasy !**

 **(Dixxy)**


	13. To the Underworld

**A/N:** Hello there! I know…it's been an awful long time since the last update…*shifty eyes from Dixxy* Well, I was on vacation, then sick then had a bachelorette for one of my friends then, you know, life situations happen. Moving on, let's get going!

 **(Twelve) To the Underworld**

The groups twirled in the inside of the gate all the way until they reached the very end, falling to the floor with _thuds_.

"That's it. No more interdimensional trips for me." Danny groaned. "My back can live without it."

"Speak for yourself." Chris muttered, slightly feeling dazed.

"Is everyone alright?" Robin asked as he got up.

There were several of groans and a "define alright…" but nonetheless, Robin took the answers.

"Alright, once everyone is back to normal, we will start exploring this place." he looked ahead. "Wherever this is."

"I'm going to stay behind."

Robin got a peculiar look as he faced Raven, the one who spoke.

"Why ?"

He then eyed Sam and Jinx… and remembered.

"Alright, but once they're fully healed, join us all."

Raven nodded. "You guys be careful out there. There are many different kinds of magic out there, that I could all sense."

The Titan leader nodded.

"We will…"

He then faced the remaining people.

"Alright, teams. Chris, you'll be the second in command leader as Sam is unavailable. (Chris nodded). Teams, move out."

As they all walked away, Raven couldn't help but to stare at them. The only one with "magic" was Starfire but the sorceress was still worried about the groups and the danger they would face later on.

She sighed.

"They will be alright. They're strong." Jinx muttered.

But that _was_ the thing. That was the one sentence Raven was more worried about.

"But just how _strong_ are they?" she asked. "Just how strong are they before they break apart ?"

 **:(/\\):**

The group reached the end of the path and all stared out at the opening ahead of them.

The sky itself was black, giving out a harsh, cold feeling as a few flashes of the unnatural lightning was seen here and there. The dark ominous clouds were gathering closer together as the wind howled through the barren area.

Across the land was vegetation that didn't belong to their world. The smell of dead plants and mud filled everyone's nostrils but the odor of the place, however, was the most sickening of them all and Danny tried not to throw up.

There were occasionally weird lifeless trees scattered throughout the land and the air around them was cold and unfeeling.

"Home sweet home," Beast Boy said, and laughed nervously.

"Everything is so…" Chris tried to grab all the details of the odd landscape they were in but the human eyes can only gather so much. "Dead." he concluded.

Small beeps were heard which indicated that Cyborg was either checking out this place or trying to get hold of a map… which proved unsuccessful.

"I can't get any map of this place," Cyborg announced, as though he read Robin's mind. "Looks like we're walking without one."

"Fantastic..." came the blunt voice of Danny.

Robin narrowed his eyes as he stared ahead. There were so much dead… even to him, it was a little unnerving.

"Starfire, can you give us a little light ?"

The alien raised her hand and a green starbolt appeared, giving out the necessary light. It relieved most people. Cyborg turned on his light as well.

"Where are we ?" Chris asked.

" _His_ home. And we're not going to find any more answers if we linger here so we better get a move on if we want to find out more." Danny replied, already having a head start.

"Danny's right and it's best if we stay together. Who knows what creepy crawlers can be found here." Cathy responded.

Robin nodded. "Alright, teams, move out."

The two groups began to walk, huddling closer as Chris and Robin were the first. As they began to walk, they failed to notice that something with beady eyes was staring at them, waiting to attack.

It then slithered, leaving them unaware of the lurking danger.

They didn't know how much time had passed but it felt like it was more than half an hour that they had been walking across the lifeless land. Cyborg was still checking on his computer since it apparently was the only thing that worked. But again, the computer showed no signs of anything.

Danny bumped into Chris, who had unexpectedly stopped.

"Dude, why'd you stop ?" Danny muttered, rubbing his nose.

Chris shrugged. "Sorry. I felt the need to check something out but found nothing."

Danny nodded but then he raised one of his eyebrows in confusion as he stared at his buddy, who had resumed walking.

Was it just him or did Chris suddenly became…taller ? And it suddenly seemed really hard to walk… It felt like having strong current of water pushing him back.

"Uh, Chris?"

"What?"

"Since when did you become taller?"

This made Chris immediately pause in his tracks, wanting to know what Danny was talking about. As far as he knew, the two were the same height.

"Danny, what are you—"Chris gasped as he saw the situation in which the red fighter was. "I'm not getting taller — _you're_ getting **smaller** ! Danny, you're sinking !"

" _What_?!"

The red fighter looked down… only to let out a shout : "Quicksand !"

There he was, in a large puddle of mud-like sand… and he was stuck in it !

Because of the rapid sinking, Danny started to panic, even though he knew he shouldn't since that made him sink faster… but adrenaline just kicked in !

"Don't panic ! You're not supposed to move !" Chris exclaimed, dropping his weapons to the ground and running to help him.

"You think I'm doing this on purpose ?! Something called _instincts_! HELP !"

The rest of the group, unaware of his situation, since they hadn't heard his call for help, was still walking onward … but soon Cathy heard the scream and this made her pause, the Rhapsodian swearing that the voice was familiar.

Her sharp look made her notice that two of her MBC fellows had gone missing.

"What the —"

She walked backwards for a bit and her eyes instantly widened as she finally noticed Chris was struggling to pull something out of the ground But the more the Rhapsodian analyzed the scene, the more it seemed to her that the second figure belonged to Danny.

With an exclamation, she dashed towards her friends, but as she ran, the Titans merely observed her actions with peculiar looks.

"Friend Danny is in danger !" Starfire announced after figuring out what the problem was, and since she had, she started to fly towards the three MBC members.

"Wait!"

"Hang on, Danny!" Cathy responded, struggling to pull him out, before she gave a perplexed "Huh ?"

All of a sudden, a strong pair of arms had wrapped around Cathy's waist and the stretchable girl got suddenly pulled backwards pretty quickly, as though she had weighed no more than a feather.

"Do not worry, my friend. I am here."

Cathy blinked.

"Starfire ?"

The Tamaran alien, Chris and Cathy all began to walk backwards, joining forces to pull Danny out of the quicksand. It seemed like a tug of war since the quicksand would often pull Danny back while the fighters heaved him back.

At last, after struggling for quite a while, the jock was pulled to safety and the others fell to the ground after losing their balance.

Meanwhile, the black quicksand sank back to normal as though it had never caught anything, and this gave the group a set of unnerving feeling.

"Is everyone alright ?" Robin asked, running to the fallen teammates.

"Define alright." Chris moaned.

Cyborg crouched down, staring at the odd substance before he took a sample of it for a computer analysis.

Seeing this, Chris gave an odd look.

"Why did you do that ?"

"To see what this thing is made of."

Danny scoffed.

"What? You expect that we will run into quicksand again ?"

"You never know."

Chris narrowed his eyes and gave a look at the jock.

"I think you should be up at the front _WHERE WE CAN KEEP AN EYE ON YOU_!"

"Okay, you don't have to yell." he muttered.

After the small setback they had, the two groups resumed their walk across the ruins of the landscape.

As they went further, they couldn't help but think that this land might've once been a majestic terrain, full of life, part of a great kingdom — as they kept seeing ruins of old structures scattered across the area.

"Jinkies, this place is getting creepier by the minute." Cathy replied, shivering as she unknowingly stepped onto an old bone.

"Well, we have to keep moving. There's a lot of land to explore." Robin replied.

And the smell kept getting stronger, much to their disturbance, but they kept moving nonetheless.

Robin couldn't help worrying about the three teammates who had been left behind. How were they ? Were they healed ? Did they run into any problems ?

Raven and Jinx were more aware, with the first one able to sense what normal humans couldn't. Sam was sharp but because _she_ was a normal human, she was limited.

The Boy Wonder glanced at Cyborg, who was frowning and would occasionally lift one of his eyebrows, muttering as he clicked away onto his mini-computer, most likely analyzing the sample he took.

The rest of the group appeared quiet yet was quite nervous, to say the least, none of them expecting what was going to happen as they moved forward. But the more they continued, the more that mysterious shadow would follow them, waiting to strike at the right moment !

Beast Boy stopped, frowning.

His animal instincts warning him of some danger, he turned his head around to stare at the opposite direction, behind him. He couldn't help but feel that something was…off.

Something unwelcoming was lurking in the shadows.

He gave a stare before his name was called out.

"Beast Boy !"

And then, with narrowed eyes, the green one turned his attention back to the team but he still couldn't shake that feeling off.

A little while later, the group came to a fork in the road.

"So, uh…which way ?" Beast Boy asked.

Danny squinted his eyes and decided to rely on a children's stuff to make a choice.

"Eenie meenie miney moe ! Okay, we're going to the right." Danny declared.

"Wow, if I had only thought of that..." Chris replied sarcastically, which earned him a snicker from Cy, whom was reminded of Raven on that occasion.

Beast Boy let out a small startled squeak when a hand touched his shoulder.

He turned around to see Robin staring at him.

"Beast Boy…what happened back there ? You seemed to have frozen up..." he observed, taking his hand off his teammate's shoulder.

The green one shrugged.

"Ahem, it's nothing. I just thought I had felt something was following us—can't be too sure though..." he answered.

The Boy Wonder was silent for a moment.

"Alright…keep me updated, will you ?" he eventually told the green boy, who nodded in return.

As the group headed to the right, with Beast Boy bringing up the rear, something appeared in the shadows, something with two glowing eyes, and it started to slither towards the group.

Sensing danger again, Beast Boy swiftly turned around… and gasped when he saw the full appearance !

The gigantic monster wasted no time and wrapped its tail around the green one in a flash, dragging him off in the shadows.

" _HEEEELLLPPPPP!"_

Cyborg stopped what he was doing and turned around, his eyes widening.

"I'M COMING FOR YOU, LITTLE BUDDY!"

Cyborg let out a yell of rage, ready to tackle the foul beast that had dared to kidnap his friend. He jumped into the air with both of his fists raised upwards.

Unfortunately, the monster saw this and waited for the right moment to slither away. When that time came, the fiend quickly went out of the way so fast that Cyborg struck the ground instead.

"Woah, have you ever seen anything move so fast?" Cy asked with an incredulous look.

The brute then raised his head, slithering its tongue out before it started to strike. Cy had barely enough time to avoid the blow, but at the second one, he wasn't so lucky and the snake's body ended up slamming into him, all the way to where the two groups were.

"Cyborg ! What happened ?" Robin asked his fallen teammate.

"I don't know but there's a huge snake ahead that took Beast Boy !" he answered.

"Starfire, light !"

And just like that, the green bolt illuminated the place and the groups gave out shocked gasps. The monster had the body of a snake, all slimy and scaly, but the head was different, with two large horns making it resemble to a ram's. Its menacing eyes glowered at the teams who drew out their weapons.

"Um anyone's got a plan ?" Danny asked, gulping.

"Uh…hit for its eyes ?"

"Well, it's better than nothing." Cy and Robin went to each other. "Teen Titans…Go!"

"MBC, let's go!"

Starfire flew forward, her eyes glowing green, but instead of firing them, the alien fighter threw a powerful punch at the snake, which as a result flew backwards yet still didn't let go of Beast Boy.

The snake let out a sharp hiss when it roughly stumbled backwards but nevertheless immediately got back up.

"We must free Beast Boy. He is in danger in more ways than one !" Star said, joining the team.

"Yeah : if we strike, we might hit Beast Boy… or the snake might use him as a shield !" Chris replied.

Robin studied the snake's pattern.

"Why not let it go in that cave ?" Danny asked, pointing to a cave that wasn't on their path.

"No. Snakes can be nocturnal animals. Darkness is their friend." Robin answered. "Chris, Danny, on Chris's command, you guys will fire your weapons. Cathy, you and Star will use your alien strengths and powers. Cy, you'll join Chris right after you shoot me up in the air."

"Everyone, move out." Chris commanded.

Just like that, the group leaped into action in order to save their dazed friend. The large serpent hissed before it too started to slither quickly towards the running groups that went their separate ways. Danny and Chris went to the side to prepare their action while Star and Cathy used their alien strength : Cathy stretched out her arms, trapping the serpent in her embrace , and Star took this opportunity to make another punch.

The cold-blooded animal rolled to the ground but still held tight onto Beast Boy.

At the right time, Robin leaped into the hands of Cy and, in a movement that recalled the spring of a trampoline, the half-robot threw the Boy Wonder high into the air.

Unluckily, the monster saw this and smacked Robin right at the side, throwing him off course. It wasn't too soon that the snake swung its tail at the group.

Cathy unleashed her stretchable arms but the snake — as though it had no spine — dodged all of the attacks. It wasn't until then that the two girls also met its tail and fell down.

Star let out her lasers, aiming for its head, but unfortunately, the foe also dodged it.

Danny groaned but then suddenly goggled as he let out a scream, using his arms like a shield to protect himself from the oncoming attack. But before the latter could even strike him, he suddenly felt himself being wrapped in dark magic and then moved away just as the tail struck the ground, exactly where he was a few seconds ago.

The brute let out an angry hiss, angered that its prey had escaped. Just then, the ground underneath the cold-blooded animal started to shake, then crumbled, making the serpent fall underneath.

And as it did, the fiend let loose of its tail grip and something was able to grab Beast Boy, pull him out and make him land safely on the ground.

Curious, the group turned to the spot where Beast Boy was… and goggled all simultaneously.

"Hi guys, guess we came in just in time for the party !"

"SAM !" Cathy screamed, which made the MBC leader laugh.

"Hey !"

The three busters ran towards her and tackled her with hugs.

"Woah, woah ! I'm fine, really !" replied the African-American, laughing from the warm embrace.

"I missed you !" Cathy wailed, blubbering. "I missed you !"

Sam sweat-dropped.

"Good to have you back." Chris nodded.

But the small reunion ended short since the ground above the enemy rose up once again !

Before the MBC could even strike, a flying boulder was hurdled towards the foe, smashing against it.

The monster let out one last furious hiss before slithering away into the distance.

Blinking, the four alien fighters turned their attention to the familiar figure who had emerged from the ground and who, after glancing at the ones who were staring at her, gave them a nod of acknowledgement.

"Your telekinetic powers always amaze me..." Chris commented.

Starfire gasped. "Friend Raven ! Oh, I have missed you so !" The alien grabbed Raven for a great hug, and the empath suddenly seemed to have trouble breathing.

"Glad you guys could make it." Robin said, seeing Jinx.

"Likewise." she replied.

"Uh…I think we've got a problem here : we can't snap Beast Boy out of some kind of trance. It's like that snake has hypnotized him or something..." Chris pointed out.

Cy smirked.

"Oh, that's easy. Watch and learn."

The half-robot marched towards the dazed, drooling Beast Boy then leaned closer to his ear. A loud satisfying burp was heard, which was enough to actually shake Beast Boy awake and make him laugh !

The MBC stared at him with a stunned look, but the BB's laugh soon vanished when he frowned at the mess he made.

"Aw, man. Not again !"

"Right…"

"Exactly what was the animal ?" Cathy asked.

"It's a Cerastes—a large serpent from Greek Mythology. It's said to have a head like a ram (hence with two large horns) and it's extremely flexible —which led many people to believe that it had no spine." Raven answered, and noticing all the perplexed gazes on her, she shrugged and concluded : "I read many books."

Nodding, the group decided that they should get going, hoping that they wouldn't get into more trouble.

Yet unfortunately… they were wrong !

As they continued to walk, the place became foggier. Thick, grey and gloomy fog, which obscured their view and finally prevented them from seeing anything.

The air also turned colder, too cold for them.

As they went further into the fog, Chris heard a voice — an ominous voice, yet at the same time beautiful and utterly intoxicating.

The voice…

The genius shook his head, trying to get a grip on himself but realizing with increasing worry that he was unable to do so : the voice was just so… alluring… so hauntingly beautiful….

"Chris ?"

Chris blinked upon hearing his name and his blue eyes met with golden ones.

"…Sam ?" It took him a moment to determine who had called him.

"What's wrong ?" came the worried voice of Sam.

"I don't know… I keep hearing this voice. Like… someone singing… I don't know."

Raven narrowed her eyes, studying the genius's movements and his body. She had a hunch as to who he was referring to but… she wasn't completely sure.

"Keep us updated, alright ?" Raven asked Chris, and he nodded in return.

The group paused as they stared ahead.

The scene started to clear up from the fog but some of it was still floating over the dark, murky lake that lay before them.

The route they needed to follow continued up ahead… but that mysterious lake was right in between, blocking their path.

"Well… three of us can fly…" Beast Boy pointed out. "But how are the —"

"There's a boat." Chris answered, motioning his head towards an old boat that looked like it had taken a rather harsh beating.

"Oh…"

Sam shrugged. "Well…I guess we have to take it then."

The group of non-flying heroes walked towards the boat, just managing to have everyone fitting in.

Robin took the paddles and began paddling forward across the foggy lake…

 **Author's Note:** Alright whooo ! The group is rowing across the lake… but what will they find ? No one knows except for us ! Aha. Anyways, Cerastes is actually a part of Greek Mythology : it's a snake that hides in sand with its horns sticking up so that their preys will think its food. And when the time is right… it will devour them. I find Greek Mythology fascinating ^^ Also, what was Chris hearing ? I think it's pretty obvious — the haunting voice… the lake… anyone connecting the dots ? Well, I think this is where I will leave off and hand it back to Dixxy ! Take it away, my good man !

 **(Skychild101)**


	14. The lake

**Howdy howdy, Folxxxx !**

 **Once upon a time there was a co-written story that got so delayed, but sooooo delayed…**

 **Okay, let's that Skychild101 deserves a good retribution for her carelessness about it… don't ya, dear Ana ? I modestly propose one thousand hours of detention…**wink at ya wz a sadistic grin** Those in favour of that punishment, please raise your hands ! **all raise their hands but one…** Deal ! **evil smile to Ana****

 **Hum hum… so things weren't that wonderful for our teams lately, were they ? Much bad occurred to them all, and they were close to losing Danny and / or Beast Boy (if that isn't a hint as to who are the fav' characters of Ana, eh…!) Now the question is : will things improve or continue worsening ? Oh, we all know what you hope for… but, honestly, don't ya secretly wish for them to get worse, mmmmh ? Now c'mon, be honest, guys, be honest ! Don't ya ? Eh ?**

 **…** **(silence in the audience)**

 **Well, thanxxxx a lot for this absence of answer… which, actually, IS an answer in itself ! ;) (I so knew you sadistic folxxxx would actually be excited if things got darker… I start to know ya well, dear audience, uh ! XD)**

 **Alright, enough teasing, more crafting !**

 **So here goes, Mates !**

 **N'JOY !**

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 **(THIRTEEN) _ THE "LAKE" _**

 **::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

There were seven persons gathered in the old boat, and such an amount of people would normally have produced a certain amount of words, not necessarily a continued discussion, but at least a few verbal exchanges between various members of the group…

…yet the whole party remained unusually silent, with not even Danny complaining or Cathy making one of her weird comments.

Instead, all of the fourteen eyes – since there were seven people in the boat – kept observing their surroundings, trying to make out anything at all through the light mist floating over the dark waters.

But they couldn't discern any detail, any approaching shadow that would have hinted at a rock in the water, an overhanging tree on the bank of the lake.

Nothing at all.

There was only water all around, with mist hovering all over, and the only sound that could be heard was the regular rowing sound.

But after a while…

"Something's wrong, Robin ?"

Samantha was observing the other team leader with visible disquiet, for she had noticed he was making more efforts than before... as if he found it harder to maneuver the oars.

"Well… for some reason… I'm having a hard time at rowing. I don't know why, it just seems more difficult all of a sudden. So either I'm growing tired or…"

He paused, trying to find the best way to put it, but someone completed it for him :

"…or there's something in the water."

They all looked at the pink-haired sorceress who had just managed to express the acrobat's thoughts.

"What ?" she asked as she looked around. "That's what he was thinking about, no ?"

Her vertical pupils were back on Robin, waiting for his confirmation.

"Yes, that's precisely what I was wondering about. Well, either that, or the water has suddenly got thicker…"

"Mmmmmmh… never heard of water suddenly getting thicker… but since we're in an alien world, I guess anything's possible !" conceded Chris.

"Here, let me try it !" proposed Cyborg, his arms stretched towards his leader, hands open to receive the oars.

Boy Wonder hesitated for a few seconds, but finally accepted to let his robotic friend test it by himself.

Raven, who kept a close eye on the boat while flying, stopped and observed as Robin handed the oars to Cyborg. She could sense their thoughts and thus knew that their leader was wondering what the matter was with the water, and after considering the possibility to telepathically ask Robin what exactly was wrong, she eventually dismissed it and decided to see how things would evolve once Cyborg was "in charge of" the boat.

The African-American guy began rowing at a good rhythm, with apparently no great effort, which wasn't surprising since he was way more muscular than Robin.

"Hum, it could be easier to move, but I expected worse…" admitted the new oarsman.

"You're the strongest, Cy !" Jinx complimented him, with a sexy wink in his direction.

The black teenager gulped and gave her an awkward smile, as a wave of heat rose inside him.

Everything seemed to go better, until…

"Are you alright, Cyborg ?" asked Cathy, noticing how the athletic boy visibly made more effort.

"Damn ! It's… it's getting… really… tough… !" he replied, putting all his strength into it.

Sam frowned.

"Please stop rowing !" she required from him.

That surprised him but he complied and put the oars down, yet keeping them in hand.

"Mmmmmmh…" the MBC leader mumbled as she carefully gazed at that dark surface which all of a sudden caused them so much trouble.

"What do you have in mind, Sam ?" wondered Robin as he intently observed the brainy girl.

She turned to him with a serious look on.

"I think that this lake is hiding some trap. That's why we are having a hard time crossing it."

Then, turning to the Tech Guy :

"Chris, can you please make a scan of this lake ?"

The freckled boy opened his small backpack, where he kept his devices, and looked for the A-scan.

The three flying Titans flew down and hovered by the boat, looking at their teammates and wondering what was happening.

"Is anything troubling your ride of the boat, Friends ?" asked a perplexed Starfire.

"Something is making our progression difficult, like something is blocking the oars underwater…" explained Jinx.

"Well, I didn't have the impression that they were _blocked_ , but rather that… it will sound almost crazy, I know, but… it was as if the water was getting _thicker_ ! And that it became therefore more difficult to maneuver the oars inside of it !" Robin set it straight.

"Quite my feeling, Man !" agreed Cyborg. "Not someone actually holding the oars, but a change in the water, exactly as if it had gotten… _thicker_ , as you say !"

Raven's eyes narrowed and immediately "sank" to the water, now narrowed out of suspicion.

"Oh gosh ! That's… incredible !" suddenly exclaimed Chris, whose eyes were goggling at the A-scan.

Sam's attention left Robin to focus on her teammate.

"What is it Chris ?" she almost demanded, her eyes alert, her mind ready for everything.

Raven focused her empathic sense in direction of the lake…

Chris slowly turned the electronic alien-locating device towards Sam…

The Azarathian's eyes widened…

Sam's eyes also widened when she saw the screen of the alien scanner…

IT WAS COMPLETELY YELLOW !

Which implied that the whole lake was…

…was…

"We must leave NOW !" half-screamed Raven, as a white light filled her eyes, showing that she was focusing her powers.

"What -"

But Cathy never got to finish her just-begun sentence : water, or what at least _looked like_ water, suddenly wrapped around the sticks of the oars and very swiftly rose around the handles in a helical pattern.

Everything happened in a flash of lightning : before anyone could react, that liquid they had thought to be water got into the boat and extremely quickly got to the bottom.

But by then, it looked more like a tentacle than like real liquid !

"WHAT'S THAT STUFF ?!" yelled Danny, pulling out his blaster.

" _Azarath Metrion Zinthos_ !"

But just as black magic was leaving her hand, a kind of wave, created God knows how since there was no wind, submerged the boat…

… which suddenly started to get pulled downwards !

The substance had actually covered the skiff and, instead of filling it, had remained over it, like some kind of blanket.

That's when they realized that what was below their transportation mean wasn't liquid, but solid !

 **It wasn't water !**

 **And therefore… it wasn't a real lake !**

The black power reached the mysterious substance and Raven made a certain motion.

That removed the black-encased stuff from the deck of the small boat.

But immediately afterwards, another mass emerged from the "lake", covered the deck of the boat again and applied pressure on it, in direction of the bottom.

"It's trying to sink the boat !" screamed Jinx, as she got into position, her eyes now shining pink.

"Not if we have our word to say !" replied Sam, evolving her blaster into the Alien Flasher, the most powerful MBC weapon.

"BOOYAAAAAAAH !" shouted Cyborg, concluding their resolute attitudes, as he pointed his own weapon at the now slimy stuff that had mislead them to navigate on it.

The next minute, the black substance received a powerful blue plasma shot from Cyborg, large pink hexes from Jinx, green rays from Starfire, white beams from the MBC team, black spheres from Raven and black batarangs from Robin.

And green tentacles whipped the "water" as a certain morpher had turned into a giant octopus and was doing his best to attack their hidden enemy.

"We must get that bastard out of the water !" yelled Cyborg as he kept firing.

"It's not an enemy hidden underwater !" screamed Raven over the din of the attacks, as she kept up sending black orbs forward. "The enemy IS the water ! It's the whole lake !"

"Exactly !" shouted Chris between two shots. "My A-scan clearly showed it : the alien is the whole lake, and not some hidden under the surface !"

"'twill be tougher, but by God, not impossible : we _**can**_ take that scum down ! I know we can, all together !" proclaimed Jinx.

But just then, a sudden movement shook the boat : the level of the water briskly sank down, putting the skiff in a liquid depression, like a small valley of water… and immediately afterwards, a whirlpool appeared at the bottom and began drawing the wooden vehicle downward, exactly like a plughole would.

"It's trying to suck us in !" warned Cathy, kinda stating the obvious.

"Man, it stinks always more and more here !" yelled Danny, who certainly enjoyed those adrenaline shots… but not quite that much when life itself was at stake !

The mean of transportation rapidly slid down the whirlpool, threatening to disappear down the "invisible drain".

"We will save you, Friends !" exclaimed Starfire as she rushed to help them.

"WAIT, STAR !" warned the half-demon.

The Tamaranean turned around to look at her dark friend, wondering what the matter was.

"I shall take care of it !" simply replied the female wizard, before effectively taking charge with only three words : " _AZARATH, METRION, ZINTHOS !_ "

But those three words "only" actually harboured an incommensurable power !

The boat got encased in dark power and lifted off the water.

Raven then moved her hands to the other side, using her powers to determine when there was dry land below the skiff – since the mist still blocked her sight - and when the latter could therefore be safely landed.

"I put it in safety, over there, on the bank of the lake" announced Raven once it was done, making a rapid finger gesture in that direction (being well educated, she never stretched her arm to point, as this unconsciously showed a certain lack of education).

Beast Boy started to fly towards the current location of the boat.

Starfire, as for her, beamed at her gothic teammate.

"Oh, thank you so much, Friend Raven. What would we become without your precious help ?"

"Don't mention it, Star." humbly replied the emotionally-restrained girl, a small smile briefly stretching her lips, happy to get such kind attention and consideration from her alien friend.

The red-haired female turned away and took off… but then a large mass of water abruptly rose from the lake and headed up towards the extraterrestrial !

Raven's eyes widened but she kept her self-control and promptly raised her arms to recite her mantra.

A black flat surface appeared right below Starfire and blocked the water, preventing it from hitting her.

The alien princess, hearing the loud sound of the water crashing against the magical shield, stopped and looked down, realizing only then what had happened and how Raven had saved her.

The empath rushed to her teammate and didn't notice another surge of water narrowly missing her as she flew so quickly to reach Star.

A third attack shot up from a different angle, aiming at the redhead, but the sorceress briskly stopped and created another protection for the Tamaranean.

"Thank you for your help, Friend Raven !" shouted Star from a short distance as she realized that the half-demon had just saved her.

"No problem." simply replied the helper.

The alien smiled at the enchantress then resumed her flight in direction of the bank, where the boat was waiting, and this time, Raven flew nearby, ready to counter any other attack.

But no other assault occurred, making it seem as if the danger was gone…

Their friends were finally in sight, and Starfire's face was lighting up… when a new surge of water tried to reach her !

Naturally, the cloaked sorceress immediately summoned her black energy as a shield in front of her teammate…

…but being focused on that task, she naturally didn't notice the huge spout which had risen behind her and which, after making a turn in the sky, was falling back…

… **right on her !**

The sixth sense is often there to warn us at the right time, short before the catastrophe happens, and therefore helps us avoid it.

But in Raven's case, and although her sixth sense was more developed than her friends', that wasn't sufficient, all the more since Raven's attention was focused on Starfire being attacked … and intuition came too late, this time : suddenly sensing danger close-by, the half-demon quickly looked around, saw nothing, then turned her head up…

… her eyes opened wide…

…she opened her mouth…

…started an upward movement with her arms…

…but the powerful spout knocked her down, dragging her away from her friends in that liquid prison !

"RAVEN !" screamed Sam, goggling at the dramatic event she was witnessing and that alas left her helpless.

"RAE !" was Jinx's shout.

"NO !" yelled both Cyborg and Cathy.

Robin, teeth gritted, cold sweat in his back, couldn't believe his eyes !

Starfire, when hearing the rush of water pass by behind her, turned around… just in time to see the water column hit the surface of the lake and dissolve into it, getting back where it belonged.

And then she heard the others scream something in the distance, and turned back to observe them, standing on the saved boat.

She didn't understand what they were saying, but it sounded like a warning… or perhaps the reaction to some terrible event that had just occurred ?

She turned once again and began : "Can you hear what they are saying, Friend…"

But then she stopped and looked all around her.

And saw nobody.

"Friend Raven ?"

The voice sounded slightly worried.

No reply.

"Friend Raven ?"

This time, there was real anxiety in the Tamaranean's tone.

Still no answer.

"Where are you, Friend Raven ?"

Panic showing the tip of its ugly nose.

Silence as the only "reply".

She recalled the last attack that had been aimed at her, and which had been once against countered by the black magical protection of her powerful teammate. So Raven was obviously still there with her at that moment.

And the next thing had been that rush of water hurrying downward to the lake after passing close to her.

And after… no more Friend Raven !

Satrfire's eyes widened as she made the connection : the rush of water… behind her… just like her dark friend had been flying _behind her_ right before…

She looked down to the exact spot where the spout had crashed into the lake.

"Oh no ! NO !"

She flew down towards the lake and stopped at a respectable distance.

"FRIEND RAVEN, ARE YOU TH-"

She got cut short by another rising shot of water, avoided it, but then had to face another one, and another one.

The alien princess tried to remain around the place where the empath had vanished, but the ongoing attacks prevented her to, so she flew away from the dangerous area, still having to dodge incoming assaults which were regularly launched at her as she flew, and she soon reached the bank, where her friends had left the boat to approach the water and were staring, distressed, at the remote spot where the Azarathian had disappeared, imprisoned into the water falling extremely rapidly into the lake.

"Friends, I'm not sure but I think that Friend Raven has disappeared !" started the red-haired one.

"Yes, we all saw it happen, Starfire ! A large gush flew up from the lake, then fell back down… right on her ! She got caught inside of it and dragged to the bottom. And then the gush crashed down into the lake… and she hasn't reappeared since then !" explained Sam, and as she finished, her face suddenly lost its seriousness to gain a worried expression.

"But nothing proves she's dead, so we must find a way to probe that fucking lake and see if we can get any trace of her !" said Jinx, her face a mask of determination.

"Hey Chris, maybe the A-scan can locate her ?" proposed Danny.

"Oh yes, it's true ! After all, she has non-human genes, so maybe…?" suggested Cathy.

The MBC tech quickly pondered this, his brain functioning at its full capacity.

"Mmmmmmh… this device is for _aliens_ , and Raven is a _demon_ , so technically… it's slightly different, even if both clearly refer to non-humans. But I will do my best with the A-scan !" the indigo-haired boy replied.

"And as for me, I'm gonna try to get some reading of hers on my analyzer !" Cyborg added.

The others waited while the duet of technology masters were on it, all hoping that at least one of them would come up with something positive, something encouraging.

But none of them did.

"I'm sorry, but I can't get any location on the A-scan ! Yet as I said, Raven is not exactly an alien, but a demon, so this would explain that I can't get a reading of her. And so it does **not** mean she _isn't_ there !" Chris reluctantly told the group.

"Right, but the thing is that I can't locate her neither on my own analyzer. Which means it confirms what your scanner shows ! She is not there ! It's like she _really_ disappeared, like, physically, you know !" exclaimed a frustrated Cyborg.

Hope wasn't on their side… at least for now…

"But where… _**where**_ can she be ? One doesn't just disappear in a lake !" observed Jinx who, after the two negative scans of the area, had now become really worried about their missing friend.

Sam was biting her lower lip, her eyes suddenly fixed in a vague point, as if magnetized by that point.

Robin noticed her stare and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Everything alright, Sam ?"

Her gaze focused again, then she turned to him and yes, she definitely was anxious.

"If we can't find her… it means we can't locate her vital signal… and if we can't… that could mean…"

She swallowed with difficulty and although she had a dark skin, she nonetheless knew that she was paling when she felt her temperature abruptly sink.

In her generally courageous eyes, there was deep worry.

There was… fear.

"No, Sam, don't say that !" exclaimed Robin. "We don't know yet. It might be that something is blocking our devices and preventing us from locating her. For all we know, that lake might jam the sensors of Cyborg's analyzer and Chris's A-scan. So just don't let panic overcome you. Be confident. Raven has had much worse to face, and she always survived. So please trust her. I do."

Sam opened her mouth to say something… but it was Beast Boy who spoke instead : "DUDES !"

They all turned to him, saw what he was looking at, and it was Cathy's turn to scream out her fright : "JINKIES !"

Their widened eyes saw with incredulity as several tentacles of water were heading their way.

"Clear off !" yelled Jinx, as she jumped backwards and made several back flips to distance herself from the incoming danger.

Cyborg shot at the liquid mass closing in, and the latter backed away. It tried to launch a new attack, though, but the half-robot having increased the energy of his weapon, the beam managed to destroy the tentacle on the spot.

Starfire's eye-rays were so powerful that the hostile entity couldn't approach, being instantly liquefied.

Beast Boy, in the form of an eagle, was diving on and on through the "water arms", efficiently cutting them.

Jinx also severed several tentacles thanks to immense hexes made from pure concentrated energy.

Although he couldn't use any power of his own, Robin used his staff with both such rapidity and such strength that he could shatter these liquid things lunging at him with just as much effectiveness as the Bad Luck Charm, the Tamaranean, the Half-Robot or the Morpher.

As for the MBC, their Double X proved pretty good weapons against water tendrils.

The group of heroes therefore had the upper hand over the huge enemy… until the latter decided to "move up a gear" !

As the battle continued, the "water" surreptitiously gathered at the lake's edge by which the humans and aliens were standing… and it started pushing up.

And just as imperceptibly, it began overflowing.

And continued overflowing, but slowly, gradually, silently…

At first, none of the fighters paid attention to the discreet phenomenon, as all were obviously too focused on the tentacles emerging from the liquid mass and aiming at them to detect the stealth event that had just begun.

But after a while, the liquid spilled out with more force, more evidently, and this time, it didn't go unnoticed.

"Team, look ! There is water coming out of the lake !" Robin informed the others.

But right then, as if the false lake had perceived its being "unmasked", it suddenly overflowed greatly and noisily, no longer trying to hide its intentions, the water-looking substance now rushing rapidly over the edge and constituting an expanding pool that was nearing our heroes as it quickly increased in size.

"But why is that happening ?" screamed Chris, his scientific mind always alert.

"Dunno, but frankly, who cares ? Let's back off !" yelled Danny in return.

That's what they all did, some running, some flying and one jumping backwards – the latter being Jinx, the willowy girl often doing back flips when a danger was approaching fast.

The liquid continued to massively come out of its natural pool, as if being pushed out by some invisible force. But once it had come out, it didn't just spill and flow away, like normal water would : rather, it gathered into several solid-looking shapes that slowly but surely headed towards the various people standing around.

They battled on, and our heroes still had the upper hand, but the alien substance, every time it was defeated and thus retreated, soon emerged again in a neighbouring spot of the liquid mass, so that the enemy was never really beaten, and so the fight never ended but merely evolved over minutes.

The "lake" hadn't stopped overflowing and, quite the reverse, the phenomenon did escalate, with the full mass of "water" now moving as one and crawling up the pool to head for our heroes, who were desperately trying to destroy or defeat it once and for all.

"It's no use !" Jinx ended up screaming between two of her immense hexes. "That motherfucker does get damage, but continually regenerates, and it's now coming out always more ! We must get away from here, or it'll surround us soon !"

"I hate to admit it, but we will have to do that !" replied Sam, just as loud, so that she could possibly be heard despite the hullabaloo of the battle. "If that thing can't be destroyed for good, and on the contrary is close to getting us, we won't have a choice but get away from here and continue exploring elsewhere !"

Robin's eyes were narrowed behind his mask, and his jaw contracted by the concentration… and the frustration !

He was clearly putting things in balance, being reluctant to give up a fight – something he rarely had ever done, after all… - but was on the other hand aware that, although the team's attack took their toll on the monster, they couldn't succeed in taking it down definitely. And the alien creature was threatening them for real now, as it approached more and more.

Busy as he was thinking and hesitating, the Titan leader didn't notice a liquid tentacle suddenly lunging at him !

A scream, a fall, and he was helpless before the menacing "arm" ready to strike again.

He tried getting back up but the disgusting substance they had thought to be real water immediately rushed at him and nailed him down on the rocky ground.

"ROB !" yelled Cyborg, who spotted it out of the corner of his eye, and turned his armed arm ( **A/N : yeah, okay, couldn't help that pun… hope I'm not gonna get booed too much for that… XD)** in direction of his leader.

But someone reacted more swiftly and a powerful white ray hit the hostile fluid that was blocking the masked teenager. The dirty stuff disintegrated in a wink, and Robin was able to rapidly get back upon his feet.

Boy Wonder looked at whom his robotic friend was already staring at, eyes wide because of the quickness of reaction of that person : it was Sam, whose Double X was still up and pointing in Robin's direction, although the young black girl was no longer tense and gritting her teeth but now a tad more relaxed, as she smiled at her fellow leader.

"Thanks a bunch, Sam ! I owe you one !" the caped boy said aloud.

"Don't mention it !" she modestly reply, smiling at him, glad he was safe and not injured.

"So you're in favour of retreat ?" he asked her.

She made some kind of pout with her mouth.

"I'm not used to abandonment, just like you, I'm sure, but that weird being cannot be destroyed, as it seems. Well, at least, not yet. We haven't found a way. So if we continue to fight, this might last really long… and given that we will probably lose concentration at some point, we will be vulnerable and may end up badly hurt by that monster. As soon as we'll lose our focus, that thing will get us and try to kill us, which it _could_ potentially do, while _**we**_ can't defeat it for good."

She broke it off for a few seconds, time for her to shatter a liquid tentacle hurrying her way and that she had spotted out of the corner of her eye.

"So, as things are…" she continued "…I don't think we will win eventually, because that stuff regenerates and returns to the fight too fast… What else can we do but leave and try to think of a way to locate Raven ? I'm sure that, sensible as she is, understanding that none of us can get rid of that creature, _**she**_ would have advised you just the same : give up the battle and continue our journey. We still have a goal, and that's to find and neutralize the evil mastermind behind that dream theft !"

Robin thought this over quickly and finally nodded.

"You're right, that's what she would have wanted us to do : retreat if we can't win, and after all, defeating that enemy may not even be necessary, as our primary goal remain to find the evil leader in here. So we must have as many teammates as possible for that, and thus avoid battles where we would get uselessly hurt, and lose precious forces before the final confrontation !"

He paused and hesitated to finish his utterance, but felt that he _had_ to.

"And Raven would have wanted us to continue at all cost… even _without_ her !"

That was a tough blow for Sam who, although fighting on, still felt great sadness about the empath's disappearance. But she knew he was right, and was forced to agree.

"TEAM, LET'S RETREAT FOR NOW !" screamed Robin.

"GUYS, LET'S GO !" screamed Samantha.

They all suspended their current gestures to take a look at both.

"You're kidding me ?!" yelled Danny, addressing the black female. "Giving up ?! You're joking, right ?!"

The yellow MBC member discreetly sighed. She knew that, if someone on the team were reluctant to retreat, it would definitely be Danny.

"We have no other choice : we can't beat it ! It's continuously coming back into the battle and nothing seems to have a definitive effect on it. We can fight for hours and still be in the same situation at the end. If we can't win, then we must leave. And besides, that monster isn't our primary goal : finding and defeating the enemy leader is the priority, so if we can avoid a useless battle in which we'll waste strength and energy, then so be it. We'll only be stronger once we get to the mastermind."

All this was true, and Danny couldn't contradict her, although he would have liked to.

"Aaaawww Duuuude! I just hate giving up a fight !" remarked Beast Boy, who had morphed back to his original shape.

"I second that : hate it too ! Do we really have to ?" added Cyborg.

"Yes we do !" simply said Robin. "I fully agree with Sam, although I'm certainly no more satisfied than her to get away from a battle…"

"I hate it too, but I must admit Sam is right. No other choice. That stuff seems to actually _enjoy_ being hit by my hexes !" observed Jinx, ending on an ironical note that recalled Raven.

"Ah, schnerps ! That's too bad, really…!" bitterly said Cathy.

"It is, but Friend Sam is correct, and if Friend Robin agrees with her, then we must accept their orders and follow their lead." noted the other alien.

That was very well said.

They all ran away behind Robin, with Samantha bringing up the rear, so both chiefs checking both extremities of their group.

All of them climbed a steep hill nearby and, once on top, turned around to see the "water" slowly returning into its pool, and finally resuming its deceptive lake shape.

"Stuff's creepy !" mumbled the morpher, frowning at the disgusting substance below.

"Tell me about it !" admitted Jinx, who had crossed her arms over her chest and also frowned down at their apparently unbeatable foe.

The calm surface of the "lake" was almost inviting, and really no one would have guessed, watching it, that the same surface had tried no less than to kill them earlier.

The golden-eyed female turned to the indigo-haired one.

"Chris, can you try again with your A-Scan ?"

He returned a perplexed gaze.

"What do you mean ? What should I…"

But he stopped mid-sentence, alerted by her sad stare.

He reflected a few seconds and understood.

"Yes, sure."

He pulled the device out from his small backpack and started a new reading of the hostile entity.

There was silence as all had their eyes on the MBC tech and waited for his answer, secretly hoping that…

Sam involuntarily bit the inside of her lower lip as she observed him, ready for a negative result.

Ready for hopelessness.

For grief's hurtful and cold embrace.

Chris's face didn't unexpectedly light up.

His eyes didn't suddenly widen.

His mouth didn't briskly open.

His whole expression didn't change.

At all.

And when he raised his blue orbs to meet her golden ones, she already knew. And therefore had anticipated the slow head shake he gave her to indicate that _she_ wasn't there.

The usually strong and brave alien fighter swallowed her saliva, but it wasn't as easy as usual.

Because of that pain in her throat.

That **unbearable** acute pain.

Robin was watching her, feeling so sorry for her. So sad to have maybe lost Raven for good.

Because there WAS a 'maybe', since they hadn't found her dead body.

He suddenly realized that, the fact that it wasn't a certainty, and what it implied : that there was still a flickering flame of hope !

He was about to tell it to the others, but someone piped him to the post.

"NO ! She can't be dead ! I don't believe that shit ! Raven, the most powerful sorceress around, dead from a gush of water falling over her ?! NO, NO AND NO ! That **can't** be ! She can't die so easily ! Perhaps she's battling underneath, perhaps she was sucked in somewhere else, but I know deep inside me that she is still alive ! I KNOW IT ! I JUST DO !"

They all gazed silently at the pink-haired girl who sported the same grey skin as their dear half-demon.

"I was about to say something similar" began Robin, and after a panoramic look, he continued : "I find it really hard to believe that Raven would die in such a… hum, trivial manner, could I say. She's the most powerful of us all, and one of the mightiest beings I have ever encountered. I really can't believe she would be killed that easily ! And after all, we have no proof of her death. Did one of you spot a body surfacing from the lake ? For if she was dead, her body definitely would be floating on the lake, and after taking a long, I couldn't see Raven on its surface. And therefore, we still have no evidence of her demise. So, as for me, I won't consider her gone until I'm proved wrong !"

That said it all.

"I agree. As long as nothing shows us she's no longer alive, then we should remain hopeful about her survival !" wisely advised Chris.

"Definitely !" exclaimed Cyborg.

"We will not let appearances take us down !" added Cathy, who once in a while could be serious and leave her happy-go-lucky nature aside for a bit.

"And I'm just as hopeful as you all to have her back. I bonded with her since our staying at the Tower, and I really would be devastated if we lost her. But you mentioned valid points : given her great power and the absence of a death proof, we can have indeed good hopes that she's alive. Perhaps she was dragged to some other place, perhaps she's fighting a monster underwater… And as for why we can't pick-up her vital signs, it could well be that this… hum… "lake" is causing some interference or blocking said vital signs, making it impossible for our devices to get them. So, you see, there can be an absolutely logical explanation to our failure at locating Raven, and her still being alive nonetheless. But we all agree on keeping hope, and given that we still have a mission to continue, I say we all walk forward, and I wouldn't be surprised if Raven joined us later on."

Jinx was both relieved and happy that her teammates were all so confident that Rae was still alive, and especially grateful to Robin and Samantha for their positive speeches.

"Thanks for keeping hope, guys !" she told the group, looking around to each of them, but her gaze finally stopping and lingering on the two leaders.

Robin nodded.

As for Samantha, she modestly gave a small smile and replied : "It is our moral duty to remain hopeful. I know Raven can surprise us all. And by God, she may well do so indeed later on !"

There was a short silence.

Which was broken by Beast Boy : "So what do we do now ?"

"As Sam said, we should continue our mission !" replied Chris.

"Where do we head to, Friend Robin ?" asked Starfire.

Boy Wonder took in his surroundings, then turned to Sam.

"How about that way ?" he asked her, deciding to share the lead with the black girl, whom he found very efficient, determined and courageous, and refused to consider "inferior" in the direction of the operations, during that common mission of theirs.

"Let's try it !" she replied, nodding back with a serious look on.

The two teams set out for the next part of their journey, unaware of the forthcoming dangers but all being determined to face them bravely… and all hoping that the cloaked sorceress would indeed return !

Robin was once more walking in front, with Sam once again bringing up the rear.

But after she had allowed everyone to pass her by, and was getting ready to follow them all and watch their back, she couldn't help giving a prolonged stare at the nefarious monster looking like a normal lake, and that long stare told so much about her current worry, and current hope…

 _Come back, Rae, come back, please…!_

 **::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

 **Wait, WHAT ?! 6'461 words ?!**

 **REALLY ?!**

 **And me who was wondering if I had made it long enough…**

 **(Okay, I'm a dunce… granted ! XD)**

 **So we end this chapter on a cliffhanger – which all my long-time readers have always LOOOOVED… isn't it, Ana ? ;P Watcha think, guys ? Is Raven still alive ? Is she underwater, fighting some monster ? Or was she teleported / did she teleport elsewhere ? Or… what else ?**

 **Well, I guess we'll have to wait a bit… until SC101 publishes her own chapter. Ana, without further wait, I hand the "ball" back to you ! ;)**

 **Take good care of ya, Folxxxx, and till soon !**

 **Oh, and for those of you who are fans of Nick Cave : just listened to his latest LP SKELETON TREE (never actually listened to NC before, TBH…) and jeez, it's such a** _ **splendid**_ **album ! Magnificent from beginning to end ! I highly recommend it ! (well, except for the depressive ones… ^^'' )**

 **May Happiness keep ya'll wrapped in its comfy embrace !**

 **Peace, Love, Ecstasy !**

 **(Dixxy)**


	15. Endless darkness

**A/N:** Well…hi? I know it's been yet another while but now it's time for me to write ! But I do hope that everyone had a wonderful belated Thanksgiving (Canadians) and on Thursday (last week), my college just turned 100 ! And of course, I went to the 100th party yesterday, with the fireworks and all ! ^^ Anyways, let's get going !

 **(Fourteen) Endless Darkness**

Chris groaned.

He pushed himself up, rubbing the side of his head and stared blankly, before rubbing his eyes.

 _Well, this is just odd…_

The boy genius looked around him, only to see… nothing but the concrete of the path and the darkness of the unusual sky.

Chris indeed knew where he was and what his current purpose was _and_ he knew about the demise of his teammate…but…

Something felt off.

"Guys ?" he called out. "Danny ? Sam ?"

No answer.

"Robin ?"

He frowned.

He was _sure_ they **were** together. The last thing he remembered was continuing on with the group after losing Raven from that tentacle-lake monster. And now, suddenly, they were missing. That being said, a big question remained…

 _Where are they ?_

Sighing, the boy started to push himself up but something struck his head, like a wave of pain, and he was forced to sit back down.

He cringed, placing his hand on his head.

Head rush.

That is NEVER fun, and Chris felt dizzy. He let out a few deep breaths before the rush was gone and he was able to move.

When he was up, he stared for a moment at the endless path ahead, before binging up his V-com.

"Come in, Sam."

Static.

"Cathy ?"

Chris sighed : still nothing…

He shut off his device then took out his A-scan. Maybe he would find something…

But alas… no better luck. It was either that or this puzzle piece is rather good at hiding…

Narrowing his eyes, Chris put away the object and began walking ahead. If he wanted answers, he might as well start walking.

 **:(/\\):**

Sam sighed, closing the lid of her V-com.

She got nothing but static — no answer, no calls, nothing. It worried her.

Sam had woken up in this strange land, but how she had got there… no clue about that ! All she remembered was experiencing a painful headache…

…and Raven ! She remembered about Raven, what happened to her !

There was a still that acute pain in her heart — the kind that doesn't get away.

 _Raven, you better be alive when all of this is over. I know for a fact that you're not the type of person to give up._

"…Sam ?" a voice slurred, catching Sam's attention.

The golden-eyed girl whipped her head to the side and stared at the spot where the voice came from.

She furrowed her eyebrows.

"Cathy ? Is that you ?"

A groan came by way of confirmation.

"Jinkies…what happened ? I feel like I got run over by a bus !"

"Trust me: I'm pretty sure we _all_ feel that way…" the brunette paused to take a look around them and thus realize they were alone. "Hum… wherever the rest of them are."

Cathy raised an eyebrow and looked around as well, to find nothing more than the dark sky and an endless path.

"You know… I remember being together, Raven's end, and then…nothing !" Cathy replied, scratching her head. Her thoughts were confused as she tried to recall what happened.

Sam shrugged.

"Well, Cathy, I feel the same : lost and out of place."

She then narrowed her eyes, staring ahead.

"And if we want answers, something tells me we gotta start walking."

Cathy reluctantly glanced at the unwelcoming path.

"But…but, it's so gloomy…so…so…isolated…"

The leader of the MBC gave a knowing look.

"And **when** have _that_ ever stopped us, before?"

She got up and started walking, briefly interrupting her movement to look at Cathy : "Come on !"

The Rhapsodian groaned, getting up.

"For the sake of our teams, I hope you're right Sam…" she muttered under her breath.

 **:(/\\):**

"Okay, I'm lost." Jinx muttered.

"You mean : _we're_ lost." Beast Boy pointed out, frowning.

Sometimes, he got the feeling that Jinx disliked him…

Beeps suddenly rang out, which caught both Titans' attention.

"You're telling me ! I can't find **any** thing about this place. Zilch. My scanner isn't picking up anything. No traces of other species. No-thing." Cyborg announced as he clicked away on his scanner.

"Now what?" the changeling quizzed.

Jinx, who usually wasn't afraid of anything and showed determination in everything, for once didn't feel so reassured, and she therefore gave an apprehensive look ahead.

As though Cyborg had read her mind, he piped her to the post and decided that they should go there… no matter how disquieting it looked.

"Guess we start walking…" the half-machine answered the changeling.

The latter gave an irritated look.

"Dude, come on ! I'm being serious here !"

"And he _is_ being serious _too_. You're just too thick-headed to notice it." Jinx stated, smirking as she crossed her arms, her worry temporarily forgotten as she upset her favourite "target".

Said "target" scowled… but decided not to reply, since he always lost against Jinx, when arguing with her.

"Alright guys," Cyborg said as he got between the two. "We're not going to get any answers if we continue to fight. So why don't we, for the sake of the teams, put our differences aside and actually _work_ as a small team to find the answers ?"

Jinx and Beast Boy stared at the half-robot before reluctantly nodded their heads.

"Fine. But _only_ for the teams and to get the heck out of here !," Jinx muttered.

"Agreed," the changeling accepted.

 **:(/\\):**

"Have you found anything yet ?" an annoyed Danny asked.

"If I had, I would tell you. But since I haven't… _no_." Robin stated, firmly. He, too, was aggravated with Danny as the latter kept on asking the same question.

The red MBC member let out an irritated groan, but then paused to reflect about Robin, as he studied him.

Every time he looked at him, the Teen Titans leader would always look so serious. Sure, every once in a while, he would slip up an emotion, but would always return to the same serious look.

And Danny wondered why.

"By the way," Danny started again. "I'm just curious… How come you're always so serious ? Sure, you do show some emotion once a while, but it's always the same strict expression. Why ?" he asked, curiously.

Robin stopped what he was doing, letting his arms drop to his side, his cape now covering him fully again.

The boy wonder slightly narrowed his eyes as he studied his carefree companion.

He then crossed his arms over his chest.

"I can ask you the same question except in reverse mode : how are you so carefree all the time ?"

Danny blinked, his eyes widening a little, and he opened and closed his mouth several of times, unsure exactly how to answer the question he had been asked.

"To be honest… I actually don't know." Danny answered, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess I don't let things bother me. Sometimes, I can be serious but…" he shrugged. "I just let them go. Let my emotions go."

Robin was left in thought, pondering on Danny's choice of words.

But the Teen Titans leader then remembered about Danny's previous question and decided he should answer it, just like Danny had answered his own question.

"I guess I was raised this way. I have been repeatedly told that emotions were always a hassle… always getting in the way, and that showing them might lead you to let your guard down. So I just bury my emotions down…"

The red MBC member stared at the young acrobat for a brief moment before speaking again, but more gently this time : "You know…sometimes it's okay to let everything go."

 **:(/\\):**

"Sam…" Cathy called out, but there was no answer. "Sam !" she _shouted_.

This seemed to bring Sam back from the realm of thoughts.

"What ?" the leader asked.

"Can we stop ? I'm kind of tired. We need to rest or otherwise we will lose our energy and won't be able to fight enemies… hum, if they ever appear."

Sam studied her friend. Cathy's eyes clearly showed that she was tired and her body posture was slumped.

The MBC leader sighed. She didn't want to stop. Every second they wasted, their teammates could be in danger.

Yet again, the blonde was right and maybe Sam could try communicating with them again.

"Alright," Sam announced. "But not for too long."

Cathy nodded and gladly plopped herself on the ground, all sprawled out.

The brunette joined her and took out her V-com.

"Sam to MBC ! Come in, MBC." Sam said.

No answer.

"Sam to Teen Titans !," she tried again. "Anyone ?"

She gave up and closed the lid. Once again, it proved to be futile.

The yellow fighter wondered if they were ever going to find their friends.

During their walk, she had started to develop theories of where they could possibly be.

One of them was that all of them were actually here but scattered into different paths. It didn't seemed possible for the teams to be thrown in another _dimension_ … so they most certainly were still in one and the same dimension, but in different places of it.

Nevertheless, this was a hostile planet… _anything_ could happen !

After a few minutes passed, Cathy got up and stretched, and she looked like she was full of energy again… in only a few minutes !

"Okay, I'm ready !" Cathy announced, getting up. "Shall we continue our endless search ?"

Sam smirked.

"Of course."

It wasn't until thenthat the Rhapsodian suddenly heard a noise and swiftly turned around, glancing with disquiet at the cold darkness.

Nothing was there.

Maybe she was just hallucinating ?

Uneasiness quickly filled her and, thinking that she didn't want to stay here, Cathy began to pick up the pace. However, the more they walked, the more the strange noise kept on growing and growing.

For a brief moment, Cathy felt something was touching her shoulders and with a shriek, she turned around, lifting the one hand that held the blaster.

Her heart rate had briskly increased.

When she turned back to the front, she met with Sam's gaze, eyes wide, filled with confusion.

"Cathy ? What's wrong ?" the leader asked, concerned.

"I felt something touching me ! I don't know what it was, but…" Cathy nervously answered.

The two remained motionless for a brief minute… but then, all of a sudden, that same noise came again !

"Who…who's there ?" Cathy whimpered.

After scrutinizing their surroundings for a few minutes, the two friends finally resumed walking, but not without continuously turning their heads this way and that way, trying to spot anything unusual.

And then, without a warning, the noise reappeared…

…and a shadow loomed over Cathy, who swiftly turned around, only to give an ear-piercing scream !

"CATHY !" Sam shouted.

 **:(/\\):**

"Friends ? Hello? Are you there ?" Starfire called out.

She had floated around aimlessly only to come up with no result. Needless to say, the alien felt lost and even scared… and she almost never was !

But this time, it was for real though. The infinite darkness and the endless path honestly frightened her. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad if she was with her friends… but being alone in this evil blackness was pretty… scary.

And also, that obscurity didn't bond well with her powers, since those were based on emotions : the happy she felt, the stronger she was. And so, if she didn't feel happy, like in the present moment… then, she was **weak** !

She felt lost, confused, afraid and overwhelmed, because she couldn't communicate via her device, as static was all she got each time she tried.

The only way she had found to comfort herself was wrapping her arms around her.

Scared, Starfire fell down on her knees, slumped with defeat and so tired…

But she got up nonetheless and forced herself to walk further.

As the Tamaranean princess continued, she shivered : she had the impression that something was lurking in the shadows. It unnerved the inhuman being and she occasionally glanced back… but found nothing.

What could that be, she didn't know.

 _They don't like you…_

A sudden whisper, that made Starfire stop dead in her tracks.

She pricked up her ears.

 _They only pretend… they do it out of sympathy !_

 _They talk about you behind your back…_

 _They were never really your friends…_

The nasty shadow seemed to be mocking the frightened fighter, who now could do nothing else but stare at the ground : she had suddenly lost her ability to move !

"That's not true…" Starfire whispered.

It seemed to her that the mysterious being hidden in the shadows laughed.

 _Oh, but it is. You have fooled yourself, thinking you could befriend them. Thinking they could trust you. But they're monsters…_

"N…no." Starfire replied, gasping as she fell to her knees. She covered her ears with her hands as an attempt to block out the horrid voices.

 _Why do you still bother to try ? We both know that it is the_ _ **truth**_ _._

 _But you don't have to face this on your own…_

 _We're here for_ _ **you**_ _._

 _Join us…_

And during a long minute, shadows slowly wrapped around Starfire…

…and her once green eyes turned black as the night !

 **A/N: Whoo ! We (possibly) might see an evil Starfire ! Tadaaaaa ! And so, more mishaps took place during the teams' journey… What happens next ? I don't know but what I DO know is that it's now Dixxy's turn. So take it away, my good man ! Your keyboard is at your hands.**

 **Skychild101**


	16. Reuniting doesn't go without saying

**Bonjour, les amis !**

 **Okay, errrm, you've got every right to be angry, I admit : it's been too long since this has been updated. I take my responsibility of it, but not without pointing to some extenuating circumstances : everyday life, work, update of another story. These kind of slowed down the posting of this new chapter here. Which I apologize for.**

 **Are there any fans of the Northern Irish band Snow Patrol round here ? Yes ? Then Big Up to ya guys for supporting such an awesome band, who gave us such fine albums as FINAL STRAW, EYES OPEN and A HUNDRED MILLION SUNS, their top three. Just bought their UP TO NOW compilation, and it's such a diamond mine. There are such delicate songs in there, and such energetic boosters as well… how couldn't I NOT love it ? How could YOU not love it ? ;) Really a very very nice band, SNOW PATROL, one of my fav's, actually ! Wish I can see them live B4 I die, me who already missed David Bowie and Prince…**

 **Alright, enough talking about my musical tastes… wzout further delay :**

 **And Joy !**

 **::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

 **(FIFTEEN) _REUNITING DOESN'T GO WITHOUT SAYING…_**

 **::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

"Ah, finally !"

Chris's head was like magnetized to the right, where the exclamation originated from, but he had already identified the owner of that voice.

"Hey, Danny !" Then a glance to the left. "Hey, Robin ! Well, it's nice to finally run into friends in this creepy place. I didn't feel too good in there. Being on my own in these pretty sinister surroundings… no thanks, not my best experience !"

The other two couldn't help snorting at that.

"Funny to hear you use humor." said Boy Wonder. "Since you're the tech guy of the MBC, I didn't expect this from you. Because, as you know, tech guys have that reputation of being always so serious and cerebral, if you see what I mean…" And he quickly added : "But no offense intended, really !"

"And no offense taken, Robin." replied the indigo-haired teenager. "Don't worry, I know what it's like being considered as the geek of the band. People may be led to think you have as much humour as a bathtub, if not less…"

This time, it was Danny's turn to guffaw.

"Man, what the heck's happening to you, uh ? Have you been breathing some weird gas or what ? Hilarious so isn't like you ! Not saying you're a killjoy or uptight guy, no, but we so rarely hear you joke… and there, suddenly, two funny lines in a row…!"

"Well, excuse me for unexpectedly showing I'm made of flesh and not of concrete. I guess I just remembered I was human after all…"

Robin's smile "stretched".

"I must admit that Danny is right : you are unusually funny, and while I have nothing personal against humour, it seems still a tad surprising that you utter several amusing sentences in a row. Are you sure you are… okay ? Still no offense intended, right ?"

Chris let out a sigh as his gaze made a to-and-fro between the other MBC member and the Teen Titans leader.

"Look, I know that sounds really unlike me and all, but I swear it's still me here, that I haven't breathed any suspicious gas or eaten any odd mushrooms. Guess tiredness is slowly getting the best of me…"

Part of this short speech made both his interlocutors snort again, but they still managed to retain the most important info : that Chris was tired and that it was what made his mood so curiously different…

"Would you like to rest for a bit ?" asked Robin, knowing it would be a good thing for the weary freckled boy.

"Hum… would that be okay if I took only twenty minutes to rest a tad ?"

"Will that be enough for you, Chris ?"

"I guess it will do. Remember we can't take too much time to complete this mission : the humans affected by the "dream abduction", as we could call it, are getting weaker and weaker, and it's more than certain that they will eventually pass away if we don't do anything to prevent it. So, thank you for your concern about resting time, Robin, but I alas can't afford resting for that long. Human lives are far more important than my welfare."

Robin made a small smile, but that one had a different "meaning" than the other ones.

"And your courage honours you, Chris. A hero must always put protection of humanity first. Sometimes, even our own Titan lives were threatened while fighting crime, and destruction, yet we never hesitated to take any risks needed to ensure the defense of humans. That's our duty, and we have to do it."

"I wish I could speak as cleverly and wisely as you, folks !" Danny admitted, and this again amused the party, which was relieving, given their menacing environment.

"By the way, did you find something interesting ? Or a lead as to where we should head ?" asked the freckled teenager.

"Nope, Man ! Nothing so far ! And that's sooooooo frustrating !" exclaimed Danny.

"Yeah, I've heard it enough to confirm that you _are_ frustrated… But it's true that we still haven't got any trail, no track so far. I guess you're in the same situation ?" Robin said, addressing the red buster first, then the blue one.

"No better luck indeed." conceded Chris. "We are lost in the middle of nowhere, without any clues about the mastermind's location, and we ignore where our friends are… This is one of the most difficult missions I've ever taken part in. But once you are "at the bottom", I guess it can only improve afterwards, eh ?"

The young acrobat nodded, but he was just as discomfited as his fellow teammates.

The MBC tech decided to make the most of the little time he had to regain a bit of his energy, and he badly needed that short break, because he really felt drained…

 **::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

"Why the hell are our T-com not working ? Or your own gadgets, Cy ?"

"Hey, I really don't know, BB ! You've already asked that question, and the answer hasn't changed : not-a-clue ! But my best guess is that there must be some force field or unknown energy jamming our signals and blocking them, something like that."

"Guess I'll have to go with that, uh…"

"It would be good if we could find some high location overlooking the plain." Jinx chimed in. "That way, we might be able to spot some of our teammates, wherever they are, and provided the area they are in open place, of course. So, if they're currently in a forest or so, tough luck for us !"

"Jinx for us, then !" joked the shape-shifter, winking at a certain sorceress.

She disdainfully snorted and rolled her eyes upward, shaking her head as well.

"Nothing to reply, for once ? I thought you'd make some snarky comment as usual…" he teased her.

"Whatever…" she smoothly replied, her tone dripping with condescension.

Cyborg's eye caught sight of something, in the distance.

"Hey guys ! Stop bickering a bit and look ahead !" he told his two squabbling partners.

They stopped their mild argument and followed the direction he was pointing to.

Sure enough, at a certain distance from the trio of superheroes, there was a kind of small cliff that would make a decent outlook.

"Got it ! Let's head that way !" concluded the pink-haired girl, feeling her determination renewed and thinking they _might_ indeed locate some of their friends.

They started in the direction of that spot which now focused their hopes of reunion with their friends, and these hopes, coupled to some obvious impatience to check the surroundings from above, made them walk pretty quickly now, almost half-running.

Jinx stopped after a while and turned around to see if her two male teammates managed to follow the dynamic female she was.

Cyborg was approaching, with Beast Boy a little behind, hurrying to keep in contact with them.

The half-robot stopped and turned around as well, to see the changeling about to join them, and visibly put out because he had to force the pace to keep in touch.

Just as he arrived and tried to catch his breath, Jinx just knew that he would start ranting about how "damn too fast" she walked, that she **didn't have** to speed up like that, that it was difficult to follow them and yadda yadda yadda…

And indeed, there he was, standing back up, frowning as he steadied his breath, and opened his mouth to start –

But Jinx's head swiftly jerked to the left and she quickly raised her right hand, indicating that something was up and that now definitely wasn't the right time to start a quarrel.

She listened carefully, her vertical pupils slowly dilating as she did so, exactly like a feline focusing his attention on a precise spot… or sound !

Cyborg got the importance of the moment, and even Beast Boy forgot about his complaint, both now observing the spot Jinx was intensely staring at.

The bad-luck charm kept her hand up to indicate nobody should utter a single word and she kept pricking up her ears.

And there it was again !

The faint sound of a branch snapping behind a mass of bushes that was right opposite the trio.

This time, the half-robot and the shape-shifter had also perceived it, and the sorceress's eyes briskly narrowed, her pupils now getting back to normal.

She turned back to her two friends and put a finger over her lips, intimating them to remain silent some more time.

Then, very slowly, she changed the position of her body to make it face the bushes, making sure she made as little noise as possible in the process, and once she was done moving, she gradually raised her arms and stretched them in the direction of the discrete sounds they had heard.

Cyborg just as slowly raised his right arm and pointed it in that direction, his laser weapon also ready for action.

Beast Boy morphed into a wolf and bared his teeth, but didn't growl to avoid making any noise that would give away their presence.

Another sound, closer this time and coming from the left, indicating where the mysterious being was heading to.

The green wolf naturally sniffed around, in order to pick up the intruder's scent…

…and as he did so, he goggled !

Jinx and Cyborg narrowed their eyes as the sound was moving to the left end of the bushes, the enigmatic creature about to appear…

Beast Boy sniffed the air once more to make sure he wasn't wrong about the smell he perceived…

The noise had reached the limit of the bushes…

The changeling morphed back to human, impatient to speak up…

Pink hexes materialized in the hands of the grey-skinned female, and a blue light appeared inside the sonic cannon of the black-skinned male…

A dark silhouette emerged…

Beast Boy screamed to Jinx and Cyborg : "Don't shoot !" …

The silhouette briskly turned around, showing a weapon in hand…

And…

"Sam !" exclaimed Jinx, her beautiful eyes now fully opened, eyebrows raised.

"Guys ! Finally, there you are !" Sam exclaimed back, a smile replacing her expression of surprise.

The pink witch and the large robotic teenager lowered their arms and the first one walk to Sam, raised her arm again, hand open, and Sam, raising her arm as well, grabbed the young sorceress's hand, squeezing it and shaking it a bit by way of greeting.

"It's good to see you again, Jinx !" observed the African-American.

"Same here, Sam ! Been missing you and your determination… and your natural leadership, of course !" replied the girl with the cat's eyes **(A/N : vertical pupils, ya know…)**.

The complicity bond between both girls was still that strong.

"It's so good to see you all ! Splumfies !" uttered Cathy.

They all stared at her blankly, virtually sweat-dropping.

"Yeah, hum… eh eh… that's how we Rhapsodians express joy… it's our own word for a joy shout !" explained the blond teen, awkwardly scratching the back of her head.

"I had morphed into a wolf and sniffed the air to catch a smell… and I immediately recognized your own personal smell, Sam !" explained Beast Boy.

"I guess having a teammate who can transform into any kind of animal is a most precious help, isn't it ?" she replied.

"Yup ! I'm essential to the team ! Yay me !" he yelled, making the V-sign with his fingers.

Jinx turned around and raised an eyebrow, indicating that his boasting was pointless.

"Yeaaaaah right…" she mockingly dropped.

Cathy giggled, getting the tease of the pink witch.

The changeling raised his arm, and Sam just knew these two would get into another argument… but she was so happy to have them all – or almost all - reunited that she didn't want the moment to be spoiled by a bickering, even if the latter was made on a good-natured tone.

"Okay, guys, let's not waste time arguing ! I'm glad to see you all and don't want anybody to ruin the moment ! Now, does anyone know where Danny, Chris, Robin and Starfire are ?"

"No, we don't, and obviously you don't either. So what do we do now ? Where do we head to ?" asked Cyborg, and his gaze remained on Sam, as he was well aware that, like Robin, she had the necessary authority to lead that mission, and that she definitely was the one in charge when Robin wasn't present.

Sam looked back at him, then a quick glance at Jinx, and finally at the others.

"Well I'm not sure, yet perhaps we -"

But she was cut mid-sentence by the sound of a deflagration, not that far away from their location, which was soon followed by several shots !

 **::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

[some time earlier, some place nearby… ]

"Look up there !" Robin said, as he pointed upwards.

Chris and Danny followed the direction of his finger and caught sight of a kind of small cliff.

"You want us to climb up there or what ?!" half-said- half-complained the red member.

"Eh, that's not a bad idea, you know !" exclaimed the blue member. "For if we can take a good look from this panoramic viewpoint, we might be able to see some of our friends or maybe even send a signal up in the air… or simply shoot to the sky, for the rest of our teams to perceive the noise and determine our location, then head here."

Robin gave him a frank smile.

"Chris, do you have mindreading abilities ?"

The other gave a brief laugh.

"Not that I know. I guess we just are on the same page, eh ?"

The acrobat's smile stretched up.

"No wonder Sam considers you a key member of the team…"

The jock's eyes opened up.

"Hey, I'm a key member too ! I never miss my target and am the bravest !"

Chris gave him a knowing smile.

"Well, _rarely ever_ miss my target…" Danny corrected.

The other two snorted, then Robin took back the lead.

"Okay, guys, let's head up to that cliff and have a look around from up there !"

They resumed walking at a good pace, resoluteness back in them since they now had a goal and knew for sure where they would be going to, while they have no precise destination earlier, given that they were total strangers in this foreign world.

It didn't take them that much time to reach their goal, and they were soon staring up the bluff.

"It looks higher here than it seemed before, in the distance…" noted Robin.

"One often has the same impression with remote locations : they look smaller from far away. It's a visual effect relating to perspective." explained the MBC tech.

"Okay, can we skip the science lesson and be a bit practical here ?" once again carped the most practical member of their trio.

Chris looked at him, then shrugged with a discreet sigh.

Robin took a few steps aside to have a better look of the small cliff and try to figure out an access road up there.

"Alright, I think I foun- "

"Hey ! Look !" yelled Danny.

His two friends turned around very swiftly, ready for just anything.

But the shape floating slowly at a reasonable distance from them had a familiar look that immediately comforted them, enabling them to relax and even let sheer joy follow that relief.

"Starfire !" exclaimed Robin, instantly identifying the red hair and violet outfit of his alien teammate.

"At last we found another one of our friends!" exclaimed Danny.

"Yes… but how come she is all alone ?" wondered Chris.

But he then remembered that he himself had been on his own for a while before he came across the Titan leader and his daredevil of a friend.

"HEY STAR !" screamed Robin, waving at her.

The alien princess turned her head in their direction, yet didn't reply. Yet she still veered off and started in their direction.

But there was something really off.

Chris and Danny didn't realize it immediately, since they knew her for less time than Robin, but the masked boy could immediately "put his finger on it".

"I don't get it… Starfire looks… weird ! I know her by heart, and upon reuniting after our being separated, she should be screaming and flying straight at us to give us tight hugs. But she isn't acting that way at all…"

He was way puzzled by her quite unexpected attitude, that didn't correspond to the happy-go-lucky behaviour he knew so well and was so used to.

"I know her far less than you, Robin, but I admit that I would have expected her to show her usual unbridled joy upon reuniting with us…" conceded Chris, feeling her acting just as odd.

 **(A/N : the 'unbridled joy' refers to the TT episode SWITCHED, in which Starfire mentioned the "unbridled joy of flying")**

"Perhaps she's just exhausted after looking for us everywhere…" suggested Danny.

While seeming at first somewhat inept, that suggestion of his didn't appear that inane, on second thought.

She was getting really close now, and they could see her face.

And her eyes.

Her… _black_ eyes.

"Robin…" Chris started, wondering if the Boy Wonder had also noticed, yet with a hunch that he had indeed.

But the blue MBC member never got to finish his sentence…

Starfire stopped, frowned at the trio, then raised her hands, in which green orbs appeared, and shouted : "TRAITORS !" …but with her voice barely recognizable !

And then all hell broke loose !

The three boys had just enough time to goggle… and quickly jump aside after the green balls had been cast at them !

"Star ! It's us ! Your friends !" shouted the Caped Titan.

"I have no friends ! You made me believe you were… but you aren't !" she said out loud, her voice deeper and somewhat misshapen, and cast another starbolt at him.

He got out of the way with a quick push on his hands, and the two alien busters started blasting at the redhead.

"Wait ! What are you doing ?!" screamed the acrobat as he landed right behind them.

"Trying to get her !" replied Danny without even turning around, moving to avoid another green shot.

"But she's our friend !" retorted the Titan leader.

"It's not her, Robin !" replied Chris, focusing on his shooting and on his steering clear of the enemy attacks. "Have you seen her eyes ? They are completely _ **black**_ , not green anymore !" He dodged just in time, before concluding : "It's not the real Starfire !"

They all jumped away once more, but Robin couldn't resolve to fight his teammate… or at least _what looked like_ her teammate ! It was obvious that it wasn't the real Starfire in front of him, but it was still her body, her appearance… and trying to kill, or simply hurt, that body didn't go without saying.

Things would have been way easier if the monster in front of him had given up the Tamaranean's body and resumed his own form, the one they could destroy without any hesitation.

Chris and Danny kept firing at their former friend, but she was moving so rapidly in the air that they barely managed to touch her. In fact, only the tech did, just once, and it didn't exactly seem that she was affected by the shot : no scream, no wince, nothing. No reaction, just as if she had been touched by a feather.

Robin pulled himself together and realized that he HAD to attack the monster, even if it kept his friend's body appearance.

He therefore threw his energy discs at her, but it missed her, just like almost all the blaster shots.

Seizing his boomerang, he raised it, but the "evil Starfire" made a swift loop and sent her powerful green orbs at him… hitting him right on the left shoulder !

Boy Wonder managed to hold back his scream, but gritted his teeth so hard that it was almost painful.

"Robin !" a new voice shouted from the other side.

Sam was running in their direction.

But no, not _only_ Sam : there were also Cathy, Jinx, Cyborg and Beast Boy !

The "cavalry" was coming in just at the right moment.

"Ah ! Finally !" exclaimed Danny, smirking but not losing their enemy from sight.

The female African-American and the grey-skinned witch kneeled by the injured teenager.

"How are you feeling, Robin ?" asked the first one.

The slim yet athletic boy grimaced as he tried to move. He was grateful to Sam for not asking the usual "Are you okay ?", because that would have been a really useless question, given the obvious "mask of pain" on his features.

"My shoulder is causing me a throbbing pain, but it could be worse… But I'm not sure I can continue fighting, because the pain worsens each time I make a move…" he informed them.

"What the heck happened to Starfire ?" asked Jinx, watching over to the duet of busters keeping the now evil alien busy, with her having apparently forgotten about the rest of the team and focusing her assaults on the two MBC teammates.

"Not a clue. We just saw her turn up, and as she came closer, we noticed that her eyes were no longer green… but **black** !"

"A monster who assumed Starfire's appearance ?!" exclaimed Cyborg.

"It seems so."

"Oh Man ! What happened to the real Starfire ? What did he do with her ?" wondered Beast Boy, dreading the worst.

"We will find out. But first, we must fight that impostor and defeat her ! Saving our lives is our current priority !"

Robin once again tried to get up, but the acute pain forced a scream out of him.

"Don't move, Robin. You cannot fight in your condition. You have to take some rest." said Jinx, before she turned towards the rest and ordered : "You, go and take her down !", for once taking the lead and deciding of the next step to take.

But Boy Wonder raised his hand.

"Don't mind me. Just put me behind a rock or so, and go fight her. All of you. Even you, Jinx. I can take care of myself."

"But Robin -" started the pink-haired teen, about to object.

"No !" he cut her. "I'll be alright. I can handle this by myself. You should go and help your teammates. We need everybody to win. Don't forget she's extremely powerful and rapid !"

Jinx hesitated and, after briefly pouting, she reluctantly nodded.

"Very well. I shall follow your orders." she quickly said.

Robin caught her wrist as she was about to stand up, and she immediately looked straight into his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Jinx. I know you care for me and wanted to help me, and for that I'm extremely grateful… but I promise I'll be fine and stay alive, like a good boy."

He had uttered the last part to make her smile, and it worked : she snorted and a smile crept back onto her lips.

"Thank you, really !" he added.

"Oh, don't mention it ! Just doing my teammate job ! But it's okay, you know : no offense taken ! And I guess you're right : better be as many as possible to get the upper hand over that monster who "steals" others' looks !"

She gently pressed Robin's arm and gave a last smile, then stood back up straight.

"Hey ! You coming or what ? We're doing all the job here !" yelled Danny in the back.

"Yeah, we're coming !" yelled back Sam.

"So, who wanna kick ass with me ?" asked Jinx, smirking, as she cracked her knuckles.

"All of us, I guess !" replied Cyborg, slamming his right fist in his left palm.

"Titans and MBC… LET'S BUST HER !" screamed Sam.

And they all ran to the battlefield.

The powerful Tamaranean, which they erroneously thought to be a monster, since they after all ignored she was in fact possessed, moved so swiftly in the air that it was excessively hard to touch her.

"I'm going to catch her, trust me !" cried out Cathy, frowning, as she stretched her arms… more… more… more…

The now long limbs went after the flying target but, no matter how fast they moved, it was never fast enough to get to the floating foe.

"Gurtrinz ! I can't catch her ! She's so swift… I can't follow !" uttered a visibly frustrated Cathy as she allowed her arms to retract and regain their normal length.

The four busters did their best to shoot on and on and on, but it was dead difficult to aim at such a constantly moving adversary.

Jinx cast a multitude of hexes, but it didn't seem to work neither. But then the sly sorceress got an idea and, taking advantage of Starfire being busy on the other side, she ran away and vanished somewhere.

Cathy got hurt by one of the starbolts and collapsed to the ground, wincing, her eyes tightly shut.

"CATHY !" shouted Sam as she hurried to her injured friend.

She kneeled down, just like she had before with Robin, not noticing that the Tamaranean had spotted her and was now moving in their direction.

"Oh God, Cath' ! Is it serious ?"

"It… burns… badly… but I'll live…" the Rhapsodian said with difficulty, trying to smile to comfort her worried sick friend.

"I will carry you out of th-"

"SAM ! WATCH OUT !"

The black teen looked at Chris, who was pointing upwards.

Her golden eyes turned to the sky… and immediately widened !

Starfire was above them… and was holding an enormous green starbolt !

"DIE !" she screamed, gathering her strength to cast down her attack.

But right in that moment…

"YAAAAAAAH !"

"AAAAAAAAH !"

The first scream had been uttered by Jinx, the second one by Starfire.

The Bad Luck Charm had surreptitiously crept behind the alien princess and gathered her energy… then released it in the form of a gigantic hex, aiming at the back of their former teammate.

And Starfire had received the magical projectile right in the middle of her back, shouting both out of pain and surprise, and the magical projectile disappearing from her hand.

But the now infuriated foe, although somewhat hurt, still found the physical resource to quickly gather another huge starbolt.

"YOU WILL DIE !" barked the redhead, ready to launch the large green sphere.

And she threw her arms… but not at Jinx : at Sam and Cathy, who were still observing Starfire from the ground !

"Shit !" screamed Jinx, realizing that the alien princess, who she thought to be some monster, had trapped them about the target of her attack, and that Sam and Cathy risked the worse.

But she was helpless, from where she was…

Sam and Cathy tried to move away, but the starbolt was already closing in rather fast…

BAAAAAAAM !

The green orb crashed against… a black flat shape positioned right between the magical projectile and its potential victims !

A shape that somehow resembled… a kind of shield !

The Tamaranean let out a roar of fury and cast another blast, but the latter once again crashed on the black surface.

The livid alien prepared another starbolt, yet this time threw it at Jinx.

But just like before, a dark matter appeared out of the blue and blocked the attack, thus saving the Bad Luck Charm.

Starfire madly turned around to try and find what was causing this new trick, looking at all her adversaries present…

…until she spotted a cloaked figure hovering in the distance, with two black spheres in front of her !

Starfire's eyes narrowed as she gritted her teeth even more than she already had, and she hurried in direction of the mysterious newcomer.

But the latter vanished at the last minute.

The alien princess screamed out her rage and, again, looked frenetically around her, and even above.

But not below…

And she should have, because a silent silhouette rose from under her and, once positioned behind her, stretched her arms towards the red hair and her eyes shone white.

"Azarath Nullum Potent !" exclaimed the cloaked person.

Starfire turned around just in time to see a blinding light overwhelm her…

… and then everything went black for the possessed girl !

She swooned and started falling, but the winner wrapped the loser in a black aura and took her back to their friends.

"Raven !"

" Rae !"

"Oh God !"

"No way !"

"Can't believe it !"

"But how… ?"

They were all lost for words.

The miracle girl landed by her friends and cautiously laid the unconscious alien on the ground.

Jinx had run to Sam and taken Cathy in her arms, carrying it alone since she had a superior strength compared to the other Titans.

The three soon reached the rest of the team and gazed intensely at the Azarathian.

"Raven ! We've missed you so much !" exclaimed Sam, who now had a special bond with the Dark Titan.

"Good to see you, Rae !" said Robin, wincing a bit from the pain.

"It's good to see you too again ! But I see that two of you are injured ! Let me heal you, and we will talk later !"

Once Cathy and Robin were back to their usual condition, Raven gave a panoramic look to all faces eagerly waiting for her explanations.

"Okay. I guess you thought I was dead, right ?" she asked, keeping her deadpan expression.

"We… we didn't know, in fact…" ventured Cathy.

"Appearances could lead us to think so, but you are so powerful that we just couldn't accept the thought that could have died that way. In a fight, perhaps, but caught by a kind of "snake water"… no, we couldn't resign ourselves to believe that you were killed like that !" explained Sam.

"True… after all, you are the one and only Raven, the most powerful Titan !" happily said Jinx.

"Hey ! How do you know she's the most powerful one ?" asked Danny, raising an eyebrow.

"Some things are obvious, and it is obvious that someone wielding such a powerful magic IS the most powerful on the team…" answered Robin.

"We have no proof I'm the most powerful, so please let's just forget this pointless argument…" intervened the emotion-restrained girl.

"Ah ! See ! No proof !" triumphantly repeated the jock.

"Let's. Forget. It. Please." calmly but firmly insisted the gothic female, frowning. "I will rather let you know what happened to me after I was dragged into the lake. Well, as soon as I was underwater, I used my powers to create a sphere of air around me, thus ensuring I could still breathe. Then I decided to explore the bottom of that so-called lake and try to see if there was some weak point to it. That's when I discovered a protruding red surface, like the globe of an eye, set firmly in the mud. When I approached, that stuff lit up and started glowing on and off, light growing and diminishing alternatively, incessantly. That's when tentacles of mud showed up from behind and stuck to the surface of my sphere, obviously trying to force their way inside. But dark magic isn't a barrier one can trespass, or at least not at the cost of countless difficulties. Anyway, the battle began, and while the tentacles continued to enter my shield, I could feel that a violent current was trying to push me away. I focused my energy then sent a dark ray into the red globe. A formidable noise followed and the tentacles went haywire and covered the entirety of my sphere, writhing frenetically. I continued my attack and could see rocks being cast at me from a distance, but I reinforced my protection. You probably didn't see anything by then since you most likely were already gone. It took me a while, but I finally managed to make the red surface explode, and as it did, it dragged away all water. I mean, all water got sucked up into the place where the globe had been. And once it was all over, once everything was quite again, no more rocks, tentacles or powerful current, I let the sphere disappear and found myself in a wide and very deep crater, where the lake used to be, but where water had vanished from, leaving only an immense puddle of mud. And at the exact spot where that mysterious protruding stuff was, a hole had appeared. That's how it all happened underwater. Then I took a moment to meditate and regain part of my strength, as I knew you'd need me and therefore my powers, but I didn't want to waste more time, so after a while, I decided I had recovered enough of my energy and started looking for you. That's when I heard that din, with Starfire's attacks, your blasters' shots, Jinx's hexes, Cyborg's beams and so on, and therefore did I head here. The rest, you already know."

There were a few seconds of silence as the whole thing sank into the minds after sinking into the ears.

"Okay, so, uh…" began Beast Boy "…what did you do to Star exactly ?"

The empath turned her violet gaze to him.

"I neutralized the evil entity that was haunting her body."

"What ? Are you saying it's the REAL Starfire ? Not a monster that took her appearance ?" incredulously commented Cy.

"No" she replied "It really was Starfire. But there was an evil spirit inside of her, and it perverted her somehow, and led her to consider you as her enemies. I deduce this from the fact she was attacking you when I arrived here. I could sense the insidious magical "parasite" inside of her. I'm pretty certain that it negatively influenced her mind and made her believe you were actual enemies. We will ask her once she wakes up."

"It's really good to have you back, Rae !" said Robin, smiling.

"Oh yes, it definitely is !" added Sam.

"The team is complete again ! Splumfies !" shrilled Cathy.

They all looked at her like she had grown a third head.

"BOOYAAAAAH !" yelled Cyborg.

They were all smiling again.

Well… except for one person.

"What's the matter, Chris?" asked Raven, narrowing her eyes because she sensed something wrong with him.

"Jinkies ! You are all pale !" Cathy let out with visible dread.

"Chris…" started Sam.

"I'm… feeling… a tad dizzy…" the MBC tech slowly uttered.

And before anyone could ask or say anything else, Chris's eyes rolled up and closed, his body crashing to the ground !

 **::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

 **And… cliffhanger !**

 **That's one of my specialities, and I've done it so many times now… which sure DID drive some readers mad, like, for instance… YOU, dear Ana ! XD**

 **Anyway, I do hope that was good enough for ya, guys. I apologize again for the long period of time since last update and… well, I do hope that it will take SC101 less time for her update, this time. ^^**

 **Did I already say that I LOOOOOVE Snow Patrol ? I did ? Ah, okay. So, nothing more.**

 **Oh, yes finally, something more : The Flaming Lips are going to release a new one. I think it's titles OCZY MLODY, or sth like that. That's polish language, so please be merciful wz me abt spelling… Anyway, I'm curious to see what those crazy OklahomEn have up their sleeve this time !**

 **Alright, time to let the curtain fall. **** **turn to the right** Ana, please ? Would ya mind ?**

 **Till nXt crazy time, Folxxxx !**

 **Peace, Love, Ecstasy !**

 **(Dixxy)**


	17. Into the deep

**Author's Note:** Uhm…I think it's either me or it really has been a long time since the last update… (I'M SORRY DIXXY! Uh…here's some chocolate ?) But I promise to make this chapter extra-long to make up for the time loss. Anyhow, let's get going !

 **(Sixteen)** __ **Into the Deep**

"Hey… Starfire… Are you alright ?" Robin asked, with obvious worry in his voice.

The green alien blinked a few times before her vision got clearer. The once blurry figures were now visible and she was able to make out who was who.

"Robin ?" Starfire questioned quietly.

"It's alright, Star. I'm here. _We're_ here."

She nodded but dizziness claimed her head… before it all calmed down again.

"What… what happened ?"

"We're not really sure… but I think Raven has the full explanation." Cyborg answered. "But still, we were kind of hoping that you could tell us."

Starfire gazed at the ground with a saddened look. For a short moment, she closed her eyes as she tried to remember what exactly happened to her.

"All I know was that there was a voice inside my head. It convinced me that I had no friends and that you were my enemies…" she explained, with her friends' looks now troubled.

But this situation wasn't the only thing that was on Starfire's mind. Upon waking up, she took a short moment to check her surroundings… and that was when she realized that there was a member missing !

"Where is Chris ?" the alien asked.

A sudden thick silence, which made her frown.

"Uh, that's the thing…" Danny spoke. "Right after we brought you back, Chris suddenly started to feel bad and he kind of just… fainted. We don't know what's going on with him."

Sam bit her lip. She had been rather quiet, unusually quiet, throughout these conversations.

"Perhaps we should analyze his body to find out what's going on…" she suggested. "I mean, if it's dark magic… there's nothing Raven can't do, right ?"

A quick glance at the one she had just mentioned.

"But it depends on just how powerful the magic is…" Raven began. "If it's too powerful magic, sometimes even _**I**_ can't break it. But I agree with your first suggestion : it would be wise to analyze Chris before starting any magic healing on him."

Cyborg began clicking away on his robotic arm's mini-computer, activating the scanner. He walked towards Chris's unconscious body, knelt down, bringing the scanner closer to him, and began examining the boy.

"What are the readings ?" Sam asked after a minute.

"Well…" the half-machine started "…it's giving me info that his condition isn't too good. Like something is lowering his vital energy level and thus weakening him."

"I'll help out too." Raven stated as her eyes began to glow. Her hands had been activated, charged with her powers, and she then unleashed a small wave of energy that covered Chris's body.

After a while, Raven "powered down" and she closed her eyes for a brief moment before re-opening them.

"Well ?" Cathy asked.

"During the readings, I've discovered that something had been indeed bothering Chris's body, making him get in this current state."

"Can it be…" . Jinx then paused as she was looking for the right word : "…uh, healed ? Fixed ?"

"It can, but I need to find out where the exact spot is, so the healing process can be accurate. Once I do, I should be able to heal him." Raven finished.

She then sat down cross-legged, hands on her knees and eyes closed. Feeling her power channeling through her, she opened her glowing eyes and the wave of energy got transported to Chris and began to work on him.

It took about two full minutes for her powers to die down, which indicated that the process was over.

Everyone was silent as they all watched.

"I've found the source," Raven stated after a while.

She put her now glowing hands above Chris's body… and after a few seconds, something came out from under the unconscious organism ! Something black, that Raven's power had de-attached from the boy's body and which was now enveloped in dark magic and brought into view, for all to see.

"Ew, what is that ?" Cathy asked, disgusted.

But her curiosity was stronger, and no matter how disgusted she was, she still made her way towards the unappetizing creature, but Raven warned her.

"Careful ! Don't touch it !" Raven warned. "Otherwise, you would end up like Chris !"

From what the group could tell, it was a small insect that had more or less the aspect of a leech.

Raven took a breath and pursued the spell by performing the next step, which was to destroy the pesky insect.

After the pest got blasted, Raven pronounced new enchanted words.

"Azarath carmine sanitas !" she chanted, and Chris's body began to glow again, from a dark colour due to Raven's magic. The sorceress let out another breath and stared at the ground, but this made the others get wary. Had she succeeded?

"Well ?" Jinx asked, breaking the unbearable silence.

"He's fine. Chris is fine although, for some time, he will be a tad weak. But he will gradually regain his energy back." she answered.

"Alright !" Danny cheered.

Sam let out a sigh of relief.

"Good. That is good news." She then paused. "Once Chris wakes up, we must get back on track. The more we linger here, the more problems we will encounter."

"Right ! Plus we would make an easy target for the 'Master' if we stay here longer !" Robin stated.

Danny nodded.

"Right. As soon as Chris wakes up, we get going." he concluded, for one making the decision for the rest, like a real leader would.

Chris groaned as his eyes flickered opened. What… had… happened ? The last thing he remembered was getting suddenly dizzy, and then… the black veil had fallen before his eyes. He had obviously fainted. But he didn't know why he felt woozy, and couldn't even guess the reason for that.

As he slowly rose to sit up, trying to gather his thoughts, a shrilling sound broke his inner focus.

"CHRIS'S AWAKE !"

In a matter of seconds, the blue-haired boy received a tackling hug from a rushing somebody. It took him a few more seconds to realize that the rushing somebody was actually Cathy, who was now hugging him nonstop… until the poor boy's skin turned into a nice shade of dark blue, courtesy of the lack of oxygen.

"Cathy, ease up your grip. You don't want Chris to faint again !" a joking voice said.

"Haha, very funny…" Chris squeaked from the suffocation.

"Woopsy ! Uh, sorry !," the Rhapsodian uttered, grinning sheepishly.

"Welcome back, Dude !" Danny greeted.

Chris stared at his team for a short while before deciding he should speak up to know everything about what had been happening, before and after he fainted.

He scooted towards Sam, who seemed to be busy with the A-scan, as though that would help with whatever she was currently looking for.

"Hey, hum… what happened to me ?" Chris asked, which slightly startled the MBC leader, who hadn't seen him approach.

"Oh, Chris !" Sam exclaimed with wide eyes. "H…how are you feeling ?"

The tech shrugged.

"Alright, I guess. Still feeling kind of drained."

The brunette nodded.

"What happened was that, as we could see when Raven healed you, there was a leech-like parasite which got attached to you and… well… you just passed out. But Raven was able to heal you, and I guess you know the rest…" Sam summarized.

Chris gazed at the ground with thoughts running through his head. At least he now knew why his energy level was surprisingly lower than usual. But as he was processing this new information, he suddenly realized that he wasn't the only one who got affected — not by the parasite but by a different danger.

"How's Starfire ? Is she alright ?" Chris questioned.

Sam nodded.

"Yes. She too had gotten into trouble. She seemed possessed by some spiritual demon, yet it turned out she had turned to the dark side after hearing a strange voice tell her we all were her enemies. But we fortunately were able to "convert her back", so to speak..."

And silence came back, which brought Chris to his thoughts and Sam back to the A-scan.

After a while, the Teen Titans reunited with the rest of the group and greeted Chris back, who in return welcomed Starfire back, who herself happened to feel alright.

And since they were a full group once again, the two united teams resumed their long-interrupted walk.

It was a long quiet walk, as no one spoke, each one being lost in their own thoughts. Moreover, there hadn't been any mishaps or dangers so far, which they were grateful for, as all really needed to spare their energy for the real fight, the ultimate battle.

Saying that they weren't afraid of the 'Master' would be an understatement, considering what they had been through, because of him. Cyborg swore that once they would face him, he would make him pay.

"It sure is quiet…," Beast Boy spoke up, as if he felt too uneasy because of the thick, lasting silence and felt the urging need to break it by whatever words he could come up it… no matter how banal they sounded, as long as it helped him escape that unsettling silence for a short while.

Jinx paused as she noticed that it was the first time he had actually spoken, and because of that, she made a remark.

"Hey, you actually _spoke_ after being so uncharacteristically quiet !" she said with a smirk.

Beast Boy scowled.

"I can be deep in thought if I want to."

Jinx let out a small laugh and the two settled for silence again.

"For once, I agree with Beast Boy…" Raven said, somewhat reluctantly. "Because it hasn't been _that_ quiet since we entered that parallel world…"

The changeling paused in his tracks as he stared at the sorceress with eyes wide open. "Woah… you… did you just… _**agree**_ with me ? You ?"

Raven shot him a look.

"Don't get used to it, though…"

"To be honest, I could honestly use a break from all the fighting. I know it's our job to battle against villains, but still… it _can_ get tiring !" Sam admitted, showing that she was aware that superheroes still were humans and not machines, and that they did need breaks every now and then.

The rest agreed. They had been fighting a lot lately and that could mean only one thing. The 'Master' had been active a lot recently, but now his influence seemed to have died down. But even if all his activities had apparently ceased, this could literally mean that it was the 'calm before the storm'… and that only made the group get some unnerving pit in their stomachs.

As they went further in, the once grey sky turned to total darkness in a second, without warning.

"Woah !," Beast Boy exclaimed, goggling. "What just happened ?"

Raven came forward as she stared at the horizon ahead.

"Total darkness coming unexpectedly… mmmmmh…" She then closed her eyes for a minute before reopening them with a frown. "I feel no light at all."

"Starfire, can you give us some light ?" Robin asked his alien teammate.

The alien raised her hand up, and a green orb appeared in her palm. Cyborg also provided some light.

But the more they continued, the more they started to feel some odd changes.

"Hey guys !," Beast Boy called out. "Is it just me or do I suddenly feel tired ?" he yawned, his eyes drooping with fatigue.

"Yeah, me too." Jinx stated, stretching her arms out. "It's as if my energy suddenly got drained…"

Frowning, Cyborg got to work as he began analyzing what was happening.

When he discovered the substance, he found out that it was too late.

"Wait ! No guys ! Don't go to sleep ! There's something in the air that's making you tired ! STAY AWAKE !" he yelled…

...but it was futile.

"Come on ! We need to stay awake. Guys !"

Raven collapsed on her knees and tried to keep her eyes open. _Must stay awake… must… stay…_ But she couldn't help it and closed her purple orbs, yet she also emitted a dark wave of energy. Due to her being weakened, she only managed to have the black power cover her and Cyborg, but because she didn't have enough vitality to remain standing, she collapsed to the ground.

"Raven..." Cyborg called out, and after walking to her, he gazed through the protective shield with a solemn look on his face.

 _What is happening_?

And there, up ahead, he saw an ominous temple-like structure with an enormous entrance which had the shape of a frightening mouth just waiting to gobble up any creature venturing too close…

 **Author's Note:** What is happening indeed ? Dun dun dun ! But we FINALLY (sorta) got a glimpse of the 'Master's lair ! What will happen next ? Find out… soon !


	18. Trip To The TorTure

**Hey ya'll !**

 **Okay, it seems that neither Skychild101 nor myself have enough time on their plate to update this regularly, eh ? But eh, that's just how busy life can be, y'know ! You cannot always do things the way you want – and often far from it – so you're left making the best of a bad job.**

 **Again, sorry.**

 **Does anyone of ya know about Passion Pit ? No ? Yes ? Maybe ? It's an electropop/indietronica/synthpop band from Cambridge… but the American Cambridge, in Massachussets, not the English one ! (Beats me how many European city names the Yankees copied…) It used to be a 6-piece band, now the only official member is the lead singer Michael Angelakos, a guy famous for NEVER taking care of his hair and willingly leaving it tousled ! Well, these guys… hum, THIS guy… or this band if ya prefer, released three pretty cool albums and is likely to release a fourth one this very year, since no less than eight different titles have been uploaded on YouTube, with this reference : #seaoflove. Go give it a listen and tell me whatcha think ! And why not give the three previous albums a listen as well… and also tell me watcha think !**

 **So much for music in early March on FanFiction.**

 **May God bless the sunny AND warm days in February (coldest month of the year), and may he also bless the calm days in the heart of the ski season ! Oh, and the guy who published that recipe book about Nutella desserts : he deserves to live 111 years old !**

 **And yeah, I guess I may as well keep it shut for a bit now… so how 'bout I stop being that chatterbox I apparently cannot help myself from being – waow, pretty complex way to put it, uh ? – and let ya read in peace ?**

 **Ok, so, like they say among the French-speaking : PLACE AU SPECTACLE !**

 **N'JOY !**

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 **(SEVENTEEN) _TRIP TO THE TORTURE_**

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Isn't it terrible ?

So awfully terrible indeed.

To stand only a short distance from your goal, which you distinctly see in front of you… and could actually almost touch, if you reached out far enough… and yet, be unable to do it ! Unable to reach that goal you've been longing for, that objective for which you've granted all those efforts… which suddenly come down to nothing, because you cannot get to your goal and transform your will into a victory.

Dream doesn't become a reality. It merely remains a possibility, a hypothesis, given that anything you've done wasn't sufficient to overcome the final obstacle and succeed at long last.

And that's exactly how it looked like for our two superheroes teams, with eight out of ten unconscious and the last two struggling to remain awake, just when they had finally found what they were looking for and could really progress in their quest.

It was terrible for Raven and Cyborg to see that mysterious entrance a few yards away, ready to… hum, "welcome" them in… and yet, being unable to proceed !

Almost there… and that's precisely when most of their forces got taken down !

Some impossible victory despite being so close… nothing more frustrating.

But no. There was no way for Raven to accept defeat. Neither now… nor ever later !

 _NO ! We haven't come that far to fail right when we are getting closer to our goal. I won't let this happen ! NEVER ! We're here for a reason… and we WILL make it to the end, ALL TOGETHER !_

That's why she closed her eyes and recited the words of a different magic formula – _"Azarath Uhllom Peritis !"_ – remaining motionless as her whole body shone white.

Cyborg observed her, wondering what she was doing and what would come out of it.

A minute later, the blazing light vanished away and the sorceress reopened her eyes.

She took seconds to probe her body and smiled, feeling that all her physical strength had returned, to its maximal level.

"What was that for a spell ?" asked the half-machine man.

The cloaked figure turned to him.

"It is an energy spell. Using it enables to recover all of the energy a body normally holds, therefore it puts the lost energy back into the body, which is in top condition again."

"Right. And, uh… do you think you could- "

But he didn't need to add anything, as she raised her hands and, reciting the same formula as before, she also restored _his_ maximal energy level.

"It's really practical to have a friend who can read your thoughts !" he told her.

"I didn't read your thoughts. I was about to use the same spell on you anyway, even without reading your mind… and besides, I had somehow guessed that you would ask me that favour, in order to regain your strength. I guessed it _without_ my powers." she retorted.

He awkwardly smiled, muttering "Seems one really cannot hide anything from you…" and she smirked knowingly.

Raven first enclosed all of her friends in a black shield, then stretched out her arms in their direction and recited the same three words as before.

The numerous bodies were wrapped in a white light for less than a minute, then the glare gradually faded away, and the empath eventually lowered her arms by her side.

Seconds later, more or less at the same time, the various members of the two superheroes teams began moving, rather slowly, as if they found it hard to do so.

They cautiously rose from the ground and looked around, at the black surface surrounding them.

Raven made a motion and the two magical shields, the one she and Cyborg were in and the one the rest of the teams were in, merged to form one huge black dome protecting them from the soporific gas.

"What happened ? I remember feeling woozy, and I'm pretty sure I passed out… but what caused that ?" wondered Robin.

"Some soporific gas was emitted from somewhere." explained the Azarathian. "I didn't try to locate the source, but for all I know, it could come from within that place."

She turned her head as she finished and all followed the same direction.

There, a few yards away from them, was that gigantic entrance that led into what looked like some temple.

"But how come **you** didn't pass out yourself ?" asked Cathy.

"I saw you start to collapse to the ground, and then felt giddy myself, but I had just enough consciousness and energy left to raise a protective shield around me and Cyborg, who also had remained standing. I then used an energy spell to repower myself and Cyborg, then all of you. How do you all feel ?"

"In top form and ready to kick butt !" yelled Danny.

"Just like him !" added Beast Boy, high-fiving the spike-haired alien buster.

Jinx rolled her eyes with an exaggerated sigh and concluded by a few headshakes giving away her vague disapproval of typical male behaviours.

"You did a great job ! I feel in a way better shape than before ! That spell is incredible !" remarked Chris.

"Thank you, Rae ! We definitely owe you a lot !" said Sam with a grin, always happy to express her gratitude to her best Titan friend.

"No problem. Just doing my job." modestly replied Raven in her deadpan tone, but a brief smile lit up her features.

"That's my girl, always there to save the day ! You're the best, Rae !" exclaimed Jinx with a thumb up.

The addressee of that flattering compliment didn't reply, but her smile grew slightly bigger.

"Alright, how about we get inside that temple or whatever it is, and try to find a way to the headquarters of the bad guy ?" proposed Cy.

"Yes, time we resume our journey. We'll get inside and see what we find. I have an inkling that our enemy isn't that far away from us…" said Boy Wonder, his eyes meeting Sam's.

"Quite my feeling !" agreed the MBC leader. "My sixth sense tells me that we are getting closer to him… noticeably closer !"

They approached the entrance and noticed that there was a light yellow fog all the way, which seemed to hang in the air everywhere around them.

And when they peered inside the stone structure, they noticed that it was also "invaded" by the nefarious gas.

"Maybe that gaseous substance originates from within and came out by that opening…" suggested Chris. "It would seem strange that the gas came from outside and got right into that place instead of merely hanging in the air round here or floating upward. While if it came from inside, it would be logical that it comes out at some point…"

"Pertinent observation, Chris !" admitted Sam. "We will have to get inside and see if the whole place is contaminated. If it is... then we will certainly be forced to progress under that shield".

Her golden eyes met Raven's purple ones, and the sorceress nodded, showing there wouldn't be any problem to keep the shield up as long as necessary.

They entered the "temple" and, as they explored the large room they now were in, they finally found a passageway cunningly hidden behind a pillar, impossible to spot from a distance.

Getting inside, they found themselves in a narrow tunnel.

The walk lasted for a long moment, in complete silence, everyone wondering what was ahead… and ready for any attack !

Or anything else that might occur…

"We should check if the gas is still present !" proposed Sam. "If it isn't, then we can remove the shield."

"I don't know if you have mindreading abilities, Sam, but that's _exactly_ what I was going to say !" remarked the Titan Leader.

"Not that I know…" answered Sam with a smile, which gained her a smile back from her leading alter ego.

Raven made a quick gesture and the dark surface disappeared.

They were all pleased to notice that their environment was now devoid of any hazardous substance, and that they could continue their progression in a normal way, breathing fresh air… well, as fresh as it can be in some underground place.

The long tunnel turned left, and once they were in the new segment…

"Jinkies ! What is this ?!" exclaimed Cathy, goggling.

And that pretty much summed up everybody's mix of surprise and shock.

The walls of the tunnel, black up to now, had a completely different aspect in this new portion : there was a pattern of greenish colour with white moving shapes that resembled plumes of smokes twisting in various directions. And, at irregular intervals, those white shapes suddenly assumed the forms of screaming faces… the kind of faces corresponding to tortured victims !

"Damn ! What the hell is that shit ?!" muttered Danny.

"I do not like this place…" added a visibly anxious Starfire, who now didn't look like her usual, happy self anymore.

Chris closed in to observe the moving pattern, amazed by the slow, almost hypnotic movement of the white shapes… so hypnotic actually that he felt strangely attracted to it… and felt like touching that marvelous thing…

"NO, CHRIS ! DON'T TOUCH IT !"

The boy's fingers stopped less than an inch from the surface of the tunnel and his blue irises turned to meet the golden ones in the wide-opened eyes.

It was visible that Sam was alarmed and pretty worried.

"We… we don't know what this thing is. It's better not to touch it ! One never knows what might happen."

He nodded and put his hand back down. After all, she was right : better safe than sorry, and this places certainly harboured quite a few traps… this tunnel might be one of them.

"I wanna check something…" said Jinx as she took a step forward.

She took out a tiny shiny pebble she had found earlier… and threw it at the tunnel's wall.

The effect was immediate : as soon as the tiny stone had hit the surface, there was what looked like a short circuit, that held the pebble still – as if it was now glued to the tunnel -, and two tentacles emerged from the greenish colour to seize the small stone that had hit the wall, and they drew it _into_ the tunnel, making it vanish from sight !

"Wow ! Impressive ! Better not touch it indeed !" commented Jinx, feeling that she had indeed been right about testing that tunnel.

All closed in to take a closer look. And they saw the pebble, now part of the tunnel, an oval shiny spot in the greenish surface.

"Did… did you see how it was sucked in ?!" asked an almost horrified Cathy.

"Yes we did, and if Chris had put his hand on the wall… he now would be inside of it, like a painting ! Sam was right indeed : better not touch anything, as far as possible. There certainly are many pitfalls in here, and the less we interact with this hostile environment, the safer for us !" analyzed Robin.

"The less we interact with this hostile environment… Waow, not even Sam speaks that complicated !" remarked Danny.

"And neither does Raven !" added Beast Boy.

All turned to stare at the two boys – Sam, Robin and Raven with one eyebrow raised, although it couldn't be seen for the last two of them – and there was an awkward silence. One could almost hear the wind blows past them.

Then the two speakers sweat-dropped, Beast Boy laughed nervously, Danny rubbed the back of his neck… and that was the end of it.

"Riiiiight…" muttered Sam, before uttering the next bit louder again : "We should focus back on our mission and resume our search."

That's exactly what they did… but this time, they were all walking in the exact middle of the tunnel and never strayed away from it. And they threw cautious glances at the wall holding such a fatal trap.

The tunnel turned right again…

… and, once again, eyes widened as they arrived in the new section !

The tunnel wall, pitch black, was pierced by a multitude of tiny light **red** holes, from which a dark **red** liquid slowly flowed, in ominous long **red** trickles which poured in the vast **red** ocean that had replaced the ground.

And all that **red** naturally caused discomfort among the two superheroes teams, as if it was the dark herald of some greater threat, waiting for them somewhere in the mastermind's lair.

"Is... is that… blood ?" asked a visibly anxious Cathy.

"Mmmmh… let me check…" asked Cyborg as he put his "computer-arm" before his eyes and quickly pushed a few keys on the small keypad.

They waited, ready to hang onto his every word, but obviously hoping that he would reply it _wasn't_ blood.

"No, it's not. But I don't know what it is. My analyzer cannot define what that stuff is. It's an unknown substance. An alien substance…" He raised his eyes and gave Cathy a small smile before finishing his sentence : "…but definitely not blood !"

"Ziwa !" uttered Cathy with a sigh – which in her language was an expression of relief - and the others also felt better knowing that it wasn't blood that was leaking from the walls.

"But still, we don't know what that liquid is. For all we know, it could be a poison or some corrosive substance. It may not be safe to step into it…" warned Robin, and as he once again eyed Sam, his co-leader, he gained the nod of approval he expected.

"I could create a walkway out of my dark energy." suggested Raven.

Robin was about to adopt that proposal when somebody else made another one.

"Friends, I do have another solution to take all the red liquid away from this place."

And they all watched Starfire's chest swell as she inhaled as much air as she could, and goggled as they saw the unbelievable intensity of the rush of air exhaled, with a force they hadn't suspected !

The result wasn't long in coming : the blood-like substance flooding the tunnel was blown away like it would have been by an extremely powerful gust of wind, and none of it was left on the now visible black ground.

Most of the others felt like jaw-dropping (yet didn't), the only exceptions being Raven and Robin, the ones least impressible, usually collected and stoic.

"How did you… ?" started Danny, but was unable to complete it.

"Aliens rule !" joyfully exclaimed Cathy as she high-fived Starfire.

There were some chuckles at Danny's blank stare, which lightened the mood, and after the frightening sight of the red liquid resembling blood, that was most welcome.

But a distant noise immediately interrupted the fun moment and made them all alert again.

Their heads jerked in the direction of the tunnel's end, where the noise had come from, and they all listened in silence.

Nothing.

A few seconds went by, but there was no more sound.

Just the thickness of silence…

"Did you hear that ?" asked Jinx, her vertical pupils slowly opening, dilating under the effect of her intense focus.

"Wasn't it… a scream ?" wondered Chris.

Sam frowned.

"Not sure it was… but I also had the impression that it was a distant scream… Let's go check !"

They resumed walking, but faster than before, as they were impatient and curious to know the origin of that noise… or that _scream_ , since it seemed to be one !

The large group finally left the dark depths of the tunnel and emerged in an immense room that made them open their eyes and mouth wide, in awe.

The place had only one noticeable element : doors. Or at least high black holes the size of doors. And there were an infinity of them, covering the entirety of all four walls of the huge room, as if it was in fact some kind of tapestry. But all those holes were real, as they could feel fresh airflows blowing different ways and wrapping them in their chilly embrace.

"What a strange place…" muttered Jinx.

"I wonder if all those all those… doors or holes actually lead to various places or if they are just decorative…" remarked Chris.

"Where do we go now ? Which door must we take ?" asked Starfire, to no one in particular.

Robin caught Raven's eye and she instantly knew what he meant. She therefore closed her eyes and focused…

A frown formed on her face.

They all observed her as seconds passed, somewhat unsettled by the duration of her concentration and by that frown. Because Raven usually didn't need _that_ much time to use her powers.

"Raven ?" gently asked Sam, sensing that something was wrong.

The empath reopened her violet eyes, which met the brunette's golden ones.

"I'm sorry… but I can't !" she said in her monotone, not showing any sign of upset.

"You can't ?!" exclaimed Boy Wonder, clearly not used to that situation.

"I can't…" merely repeated the cloaked female, before adding : "And I'm sorry about that."

"But… what's the matter, Rae ?!" asked the Bad Luck charm, bothered by her friend's outstanding failure, her who had the greatest powers of them all and seldom failed.

"I cannot locate the origin of that noise because it's impossible for me to feel anyone around. And I can only think of one valid reason for my magic to be inefficient : some power is blocking mine. Preventing me to use my magical focus. There have never been in the past other causes for my powers not to be working, which actually seldom happened."

"But who is doing that ?" wondered Beast Boy.

The violet stare turned to her green friend.

"That's impossible to know. I tried to find the source of that unknown power, but could not. Only a very powerful being can counter my powers. That hints to the difficulty we'll have to defeat the hidden mastermind of this lair…"

Chris opened the small backpack he had taken with him and pulled out a strange device.

"Cathy, can you lift me up, high enough for me to be in the middle of that room ?" he requested from his alien teammate.

"Alright ! Here we go !" she exclaimed.

And as fast as a flash of lightning, her arms stretched towards Chris, her hands grabbed him and he was brought higher and higher, the alien limbs getting always longer and longer.

The MBC members were kinda jaded by that phenomenon, having seen Cathy do it every now and then, but it was a whole different story with the Teen Titans, who stared in awe at the incredible event, several mouths opening and Beast Boy even uttering an admiring : "Dude !"

Once he was approximately at the spot he wanted, the freckled genius pointed his device straight in front of him and waited.

The loud sound echoed again in the immense room, and this time there was no longer any doubt : it _was_ a scream !

Chris was fully focused, looking at the screen of his device and frowning.

Then he raised his eyes and fixed his gaze on one of the doors opposite.

And then, silence fell back on the teams.

"Man, I can even _imagine_ what that victim is enduring…" muttered Cyborg, who wasn't exactly the easily-impressed type.

"Oh, I also cannot imagine !" agreed a visibly unnerved Starfire.

"I've got it ! I know where it comes from ! Cathy, can you please bring me next to this wall ?" said the MBC tech, pointing right in front of him.

The stretched limbs slowly moved to the side and, after Chris had indicated a certain door, they left him in the dark entryway and regained their normal length, shortening back in no time.

"It's okay, I'll wait for you here !" he told them from his spot, looking down to them.

"But how do we get up there ?" asked Danny. "Do we all have to be lifted by Cath, one by one ?"

The way he asked it clearly indicated that he had a hard time accepting that idea, as it dure would be lengthy a process.

"Nah, I'm sure Rae will find something with her powers or find a spell to take us all up. Isn't it, Rae ?" said Jinx in a conniving tone, a wink concluding it all.

"You know me all too well, Jinki…" replied the Goth in her deadpan tone, but not without a brief smile to her fellow sorceress, who in returned bowed low, earning a few chuckles.

Raven raised her arms and her eyes glowed white.

A few seconds later, both teams were standing on a field of dark energy, which had covered all of the floor, and that black layer now rose slowly, like a large elevator.

They saw Chris's face grow closer and closer above them, as he was watching, mesmerized, and thought to himself that Raven truly had amazing powers that enabled her to do so much.

The dark surface stopped as it came at the entryway's level, where Chris was waiting, and all stepped out of it, before it vanished from sight.

"Thank you, Rae !" said Sam, with a nod and smile to her dark friend.

The empath returned both.

"And thank you Cathy !" completed Starfire. "You have very nice alien powers !"

"Same about you !" admitted the Rhapsodian. "Aliens rule !"

Both high-fived again, while sighs came from Danny and Beast Boy.

Sam quickly cleared her throat to announce it was time to focus on the mission again.

"So how about we find out about -"

But the brunette's sentence was cut short by the same loud distant noise.

"I guess you guys were right : it _**really**_ sounds like a scream !" confirmed Cy.

"My ears tell me it IS a scream !" insisted Jinx.

"But… but why would someone scream so often ?" naively asked Cathy.

"Trust me, you don't wanna know…" slowly said Raven, and her deadpan tone seemed even darker than usual.

Beast Boy gulped, not feeling as (self-)confident as he generally was.

"Whoever it is, if we can save him, we will !" uttered the MBC leader on a dauntless tone.

"Yes, definitely ! Let's go !" concluded the Titans leader in a no less determined voice.

It was not only very dark, but also very hot. And they also noticed that there were drops falling from countless spots above them as they slowly progressed in the narrow pathway, and that the floor was all wet. All in all, it was anything but a comfortable place to walk through.

They walked slowly, cautiously, almost one after the other because of the narrowness of the passageway, the four alien hunters tightening their grasp on their blasters, Cyborg keeping his sonic cannon ready and Robin his batarangs, the two sorceresses gathering their magic and energy, the two aliens determined to use every bit of their formidable strength and supernatural powers, and the shapeshifter ready to take any animal shape that would be useful to the teams.

But it was getting hotter and hotter, making them sweat terribly. That mission was taking a most unpleasant turn, for sure.

"Holy gosh, are we getting to hell or what ?!" exclaimed Cyborg.

"Damn spot on ! It's becoming unbearable !" complained Beast Boy.

"We're gonna die before we ever get there !" whinged Danny.

Jinx's jaw contracted.

"Will you males stop bitching for a sec' ? Okay, it's more difficult, but we HAVE to make it, and being forced to listen to your whining doesn't help. I prefer to suffer in silence, and I bet everyone else here seconds that. Whoever disagrees can speak up right now !"

And the pink-haired female shut her mouth to allow anyone to express his or her dissent on the matter.

Yet, since no one took the floor, it was easy to deduce that all _did_ prefer to suffer in silence.

"Yeah, thought so…" was the brief comment the daring witch made as a conclusion.

But that's when another scream surged from much closer now, and this time, there was **no** room for doubt anymore : it **was** a scream, and not a loud noise sounding similar. And our heroes would certainly have been relieved if they had been able to turn a deaf ear, and thus ignore that terrible scream, but no, that was impossible : their brains had already registered it and the team members felt more worried about what was happening to the owner of that voice expressing so much pain, terrible pain.

"Are they torturing someone or what ?!" half-screamed Beast Boy.

"That's a possibility…" admitted Raven with her usual emotionless composure, making it seem that the screams didn't affect her. "But we'll have to find out by ourselves."

"Who knows what horrible things could be taking place in this lair, without anyone else aware of that horror, and nobody to save the victims…" commented Sam, and both the contents of her sentence and the tone on which she uttered it made the others feel uneasy about it.

The stifling heat was oppressing them mercilessly, their faces now covered with a layer of sweat, falling in droplets on the completely wet floor of that nightmarish narrow path. Every now and then, they had to wipe their foreheads, temples and noses, and breathing had once been way easier…

Another scream, more horrible than all the previous ones, filled the air… and this time, it definitely sounded _pretty_ near from them !

Goosebumps caught most of them by surprise… but all knew there was no turning back now !

"Look, Friends !" Starfire said in an alert voice.

But they had all seen : in front of them was a grate, blocking their progression. And they had inspected the long pathway carefully enough to be sure there were no side ways, so if they meant to pursue their walk… they would be forced to find a way to destroy the obstacle.

They approached the grate, whose bars left enough spaces to peer inside, and…

It was a small, badly lit room, built in large cinder blocks, in the center of which was a rectangular mass of stone covered with several objects that the group couldn't properly distinguish.

At first sight, the room seemed deserted… but the panting on the right side of the room gave away a presence.

Their eyes widened as they spotted a dark green creature, apparently humanoid, held prisoner against a cross-shaped structure – like a gigantic X - set against the wall, all limbs tied to some metal parts at all ends of the cross's arms. And by the look of that creature, it appeared obvious that he or she had had a rough time : the strange being looked exhausted, head hanging limply, face turned towards the floor, breathing laborious, and there also were beige smears all over the body, as well as a beige puddle on the floor, in the middle of the feet.

A moan occasionally rose from his or her throat, the head remaining droopy, as if the creature was too weak to raise it.

"Oh my God !" whispered Jinx, who was after all more sensitive than her cheeky nature would have suggested.

"It looks like a torture room…" commented Cathy.

"We must save him !" ordered Robin, although he had no way to determine the victim's gender, and thus didn't know if it really was a male.

"Leave it to us !" said Sam on her determined tone, before raising her voice for her teammates to hear her : "Guys, switch to the Alien Flashers !"

"All of us ?" asked Chris, not sure whether he had understood it right.

"All." was her reply.

A few seconds later, four high-powered weapons were aiming at the grate.

"On my command… and… shoot !" ordered the black leader.

The four powerful rays simultaneously struck the grate… and the latter immediately got swept away, freeing the space for our heroes to get out of the suffocating place they were so eager to leave and enter the "torture room".

Because the grate, and therefore the passageway they had been following, was locating at the top of the room, therefore a high place, Raven had to use her powers again to get everybody down safely, unhurt.

Once they all gathered on the floor of the new room, they quickly inspected the surroundings, finding only one door as exit/entrance, which was closed.

They started walking towards the creature, whose head was now raised, eyes observing the newcomers while wondering who they were, but all stopped for a moment by the mass of stone covered with previously unidentified objects.

It turned out the latter remained unidentifiable for the teams, since they had never seen such strange things, but their shape, the spikes on several of them, and the fact that they were covered with the same beige substance as the one on the body of the victim, all this made them at least uneasy, if not anxious.

"What are these ?" asked the Tamaranian.

"Hum… to me, they look like torture instruments…" commented the pink-haired witch.

"That's exactly what I was about to say…" observed the Azarathian.

"Same impression for me…" confirmed the female African-American.

"Dude ! In which crazy place did we land ?!" half-shouted the shapeshifter.

"In one in which we must re-establish order and punish the torturers."

They all watched the young acrobat after he had finished speaking.

Yes, he had expressed it very clearly, in an unwavering manner that left no place for hesitation : they had to "clean the place", and they wouldn't fail to do so.

The group turned their attention back to the poor victim upon hearing some violent cough… right on time to see the green creature spit out the same beige liquid that was on his or her body, on the floor – the puddle between the feet – and on the disturbing instruments set on the stone rectangle beside them.

They tacitly approached the mysterious being and observed him/her.

The upper half of the creature was humanoid, while the lower half reminded of an animal, and namely a jerboa, because of similar legs, curved and muscular, and that probably, like the jerboa's, enabled to jump. There were large claws at the tip of the paws.

The hands, also bearing claws at their ends, resembled those of humans, and same could be said about the flat chest, while the head, although globally resembling humans' as well, was different as per the absence of hair, the completely dark eyes – that looked like black diamonds – and the long and relatively narrow nose, which actually looked more like a muzzle than a nose.

To complete the description of that half-familiar half-peculiar anatomy, there was a long tail that for the time being lay limply on the floor.

The body's colour was green, save for a large purple spot in the middle of the torso, basically spreading between chest and abdomen.

The alien blinked slowly, trying to gather strength in order to talk.

It came with some effort : "Wh… Who… are… you ?"

The voice indubitably belonged to some female being, although it was raspy and thus didn't sound as feminine as it probably normally did.

"We are two teams of heroes who came here to rescue our fellow humans." replied the Caped Titan.

"And who are _you_ ?" asked the Green Titan.

"We should free her from her restraints first… we will ask her once she's more comfortable." advised the Demonic Titan.

"I can do it !" said the Mechanical Titan, getting his right arm ready for laser use.

"Oh, I can do it as well ! Please !" immediately pleaded the alien Titan.

"Woopsy !" said the pink-haired Titan. "I… I'm sorry… you wanted to do it, Star ?!"

Her tone was clearly apologetic, and when they turned to her, they saw that her arms were stretched in the direction of the poor tortured creature.

"Yeah, she didn't even wait : she decided for herself and cast her powers at the restraints…" Danny said with a smirk, arms crossed, happy to play the telltale part here and make Jinx uncomfortable.

"Sorry, I didn't know… I couldn't guess…" the Bad Luck Charm defended herself.

"Yeah right…" he insisted, earning a glare from the irritated witch.

"Danny ! Stop !" cut Sam on a sharp tone.

Her daring teammate opened his mouth to reply…

…when a metallic sound behind them made them look that way.

The metal restraints, hit by the pink hexes, had yielded and, once broken, allowed the martyred green body to finally collapse.

But Chris, who was nearby, had the reflexive gesture of stretching both arms in front of him to catch the poor creature.

Forgetting about the recent starting bickering, they all circled around the victim, whom the geek had gently laid on the cold hard floor, and Raven kneeled down by her side to lay her grey hands on the purple spot of the torso.

The empath's eyes shone white for about four minutes, during which nobody uttered a single word, too focused on the healing to actually think of anything to say.

The Azarathian's eyes recovered their usual violet and all anxiously stared at the apparently unconscious creature they had just met.

Seconds passed.

And the green alien finally opened her eyes and slowly turned her black gaze at each of the ten people surrounding her.

"Are you feeling better ?" asked Sam, fully focused on the victim they had just saved.

The mysterious being nodded, as if feeling still too weak to reply.

"What happened to you ?" tried Cyborg, hoping she would reply, this time.

The green female took a deep breath in.

"My name is Orattir. I'm the princess of planet Baryttee. The Dark Lord of Dreams abducted me a few days ago to force me to reveal the secret of my people's power. That is, the origin of our power. They tortured me since then but I can't reveal it. I never will."

There was a brief pause, during which all this sunk into our heroes' brains, and the alien princess – A/N : rivalry for you, Starfire ! ;) – seized the opportunity to add one more thing.

"Thank you all for saving me ! I owe you my life ! Thank you very much !"

She gave a weak smile, and most of her vis-à-vis returned it.

"As for us, we're humans and came here to save some of our fellow humans who cannot dream anymore and, because of this, their life is in jeopardy. The only way to save them is to find the one responsible for that and force him to reveal how we can heal the victims. And we must do that quickly, since the absence of dreams triggers demise on a short time scale…" explained the Titan leader.

Orattir was about to open her mouth to reply when she suddenly got still, her head jerking towards the right side of the room.

Where the door was.

"I heard a noise ! I'm almost _sure_ I heard a noise ! Oh gosh, they're coming back ! _They're coming back !_ "

Her tone was one of frenzy, of panic.

All pricked up their ears, head instantly turning to the door.

It seemed all silent outside.

"We can fight them and kick their asses !" half-screamed the MBC hothead, always ready to pick-up whichever battle would come his way.

"NO ! No, you don't understand ! You're not up to defeating them ! They're too powerful ! Please, let's escape !" pleaded Orattir, looking at Robin, whom she considered the chief since he had been the one giving explanations earlier.

Boy Wonder hesitated and eyed Sam, who glanced back at him.

The green alien princess noticed this and turned her gaze to the MBC leader, assuming she probably also had some important role in the teams.

Sam quickly swallowed her saliva, thinking at lightspeed.

"Probably Orattir is right and they're really powerful…" she whispered "…but I think we might be able to -"

Yet she never got to finish her sentence : the sound of the opening door, although not particularly loud, scared most of them out of their wits !

Too late…..

 **::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

 **Oh Lord ! Over 6'000 words, really ? That much ? O.O**

 **J.C. , what's wrong wz me ? Russian writer syndrome again ?**

 **Hum… guess I'll never know, eh… but after all, as long as YOU guys like what ya find, I could as well pile up 20'000 words ! Writing is such an awesome activity anyway ! :D**

 **Alright, so here it was. Entering the lair, dealing with a dangerous tunnel, saving a tortured alien… and getting ready for the first of their battles in the mastermind's fortress ! Things are taking a more interesting turn, a decisive one, since they finally arrived at the place from which the trouble originates. Yet it'll still be a while before our heroes can face the Dark Lord of Dreams, as Orattir called him…**

 **I hope ya enjoyed this bit here, and I'll let my friend and co-author Ana continue this with something she likes : action/battle scenes. And I'll let her imagine what the enemies will look like (just like I imagined what Orattir looks like).**

 **I'll conclude this with the yearly greeting to my fav' season : SPRING ! I love it the most, coz of flowers everywhere and tender light green leaves growing. And the weather can be so amazingly mild… relatively warm, with a welcome light breeze every now and then… May may be ;) my favourite month, or so I think ! So WELCOME BACK, SPRING !**

 **Alright guys, time to hand over the mike… uh, sorry, the KEYBOARD to my dear Ana ! Go, Sky Child, let yourself go in the upcoming fight scene ! ;P**

 **OH, one last thing : this chapter's title, TRIP TO THE TORTURE (chosen for the 'T' alliteration : TTTTT) refers to the teams' progression in the lair until they reach the torture room, in which they save Orattir.**

 **May you all be happy, healthy, and remain sane as long as one could hope so ! :P**

 **Peace, Love, Ecstasy !**

 **(Dixxy)**


	19. Mists and Hallucinations

**Author's Note :** Woah there ! It feels like it's been forever since I had last written on IE… life's been hectic; working, working, and I've just finished writing a book today ^^ and now, let's get going !

 **(EIGHTEEN) Mists and Hallucinations**

The tunnel was filled with loud noises that came from the group of aliens that were charging towards the heroes.

Robin stared at them for a few seconds before speaking :

"Starfire, get Orattir out of here. There still might be a chance of her getting abducted again !"

"Understood. Please, come with—"

"No" Orattir said firmly. "I want to stay and fight ! If you are going to battle, then I will too ! As the princess, it is my duty to assist those in need."

Robin narrowed his eyes, but eventually nodded.

"Alright. As you wish, princess." he added as he took his fighting stance.

In a matter of seconds, there were green, bluish white, black and pink streaks shooting from every direction. There were also explosions which came from Robin's gadgets as well.

One of the aliens (a two-headed dragon-like creature) appeared in front of Orattir, who smirked. Her eyes glowed an unearthly color and then, all of a sudden, the horrid creature's eyes widened out of fear as it witnessed something right in front of him. It screamed, but it was dead before it hit the floor. Satisfied, Orattir glided away to hunt down the next victim.

For the time being, the heroes seemed to be doing well despite the large amount of unfriendly aliens that continuously came charging at them, as though there was an endless supply to the army.

However, towards the end, the group began to grow exhausted as some of them started to take heavy hits from the strange enemies.

Robin grunted as his back got slammed against the wall, but before the alien had even the chance to attack again, the Titans leader quickly used one of his gadgets and temporarily stunned his opponent.

A second later, he was joined by one of the MBC members.

"There's too many of them !" Sam panted as she struggled to get up.

Robin stared back at the battle scene and saw Raven piling a bunch of aliens in her black energy sphere, crushing them, and there was Starfire who was pulverizing some hideous monster with her eye lasers.

It wasn't until then that he got an idea.

"Raven !" Robin exclaimed. "NOW !"

As though she knew what the leader was planning, the empath quickly summoned her magical shield, that covered the whole group of heroes just as Robin threw a medium sized device that suddenly exploded, blasting the fiends away. Just as it happened, the latter died down quickly and Raven lowered her shield.

Orattir blinked with surprise.

"Wow ! That was really effective !" she exclaimed, amazed.

"Thanks !" Robin replied, nodding with a smile.

"Right then. Let's get a move on before more of those come here !" Sam said, and the others agreed.

They had no desire to encounter those brutes again, and needed to save their strength for the real deal.

"So uhm… anyone knows how to get out of here ?" Danny asked.

As Cyborg was typing away on his scanner, Chris was about to respond… until he raised an eyebrow as he stared ahead.

Without warning, a misty wave had entered the room and quickly begun filling it, triggering everyone's curiosity.

"Uhm, is that thing supposed to happen ?" Beast Boy asked.

The mysterious mist had gathered so swiftly that the room was almost full in no time, which naturally prevented the heroes from leaving the place, all of them gathered in the same corner… and now actually cornered by the mist !

"Here it comes !" Sam shouted.

And then, just like that, the wave washed over them, finishing to drown the room in its white ethereal embrace.

 **:(/\\):**

Raven opened her eyes and stared at the darkened sky for a brief second before quickly pushing herself up, eyes widened by confusion.

What just happened ?

The cloaked Titan stared in the vague, pondering the situation, trying to recall…

The last thing she remembered was that unearthly wave coming at them… and then nothing. Wherever that mist had taken them—and perhaps separated them—, Raven just hoped that all were alright.

She paused, a thoughtful look on her grey face.

Maybe, just maybe, it would work…

She sat in her usual meditating position and began to concentrate, muttering her sacred words.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos…"

A few minutes passed…

But Raven finally decided to break the connection since she wasn't picking up anything at all. It felt like something was blocking the link, preventing her from communicating with the rest of the teams.

Sighing, the half demon got up. If she wanted answers, then she would have to start searching for them !

As she was about to take a step, something suddenly _whooshed_ by, followed by a weird laughter.

Raven slightly turned, eyes narrowed, as she stared into the distance.

The sound of laughter slowly faded away.

 **:(/\\):**

Cyborg muttered as he hastily typed away on his scanner, trying to find out where he was… or rather, where _they_ were, as it turned out he was stuck with another person : his good buddy and videogame partner, Beast Boy.

While Cyborg was busy typing away, Beast Boy wandered around as he too tried to figure out where they were, but alas to no avail.

"You know, the last time we were in a spooky place, we nearly got eaten by those alien birds…" Beast Boy spoke up with a frown upon his face.

"Yeah, well that _place_ happened to be Raven's mind—which means we knew where we were - but now, I can't get a reading at all !" Cyborg answered.

Beast Boy shot him a smug look.

"Have you ever thought of upgrading your scanner ?"

Cyborg glared.

"Shut it, green butt !"

Beast Boy cackled before Cyborg went back to work.

But after a few minutes, the half machine sighed as he powered off his scanner.

"I've got nothing. Really strange, Man… That means that it's even possible that we're in another dimension or something…" Cyborg said.

"Great… just great…" the changeling muttered. "As long as we don't run into alien birds, I'm fine."

Cyborg rolled his eyes before starting to walk, saying : "Come on. Let's get a move on."

"Yes Sir," the green one muttered.

But just as they were setting out, Beast Boy froze up, his eyes widened out of fear.

It took a Cyborg a minute to realize that Beast Boy wasn't fully with him : physically yes but psychologically no.

"Yo, green butt. Would you hurry your butt up ? We haven't got—" Then Cyborg paused as he turned around and stared at his speechless friend. "Er, Beast Boy ? BEAST BOY ! SNAP OUT OF IT !"

But no matter how loud Cyborg was yelling, the green Titan couldn't snap himself out of it and merely kept gazing forward…

 **:(/\\):**

Sam sighed as she stared at the ground, bored.

So far, she has tried to reach the other teams but to no avail. And then there was the issue of her current teammate…

A sudden exclamation was heard, followed by a sigh of frustration, which made Sam sigh as well... but for her, it was out of _irritation_ , not frustration !

"Jinx ! That's enough !" Sam exclaimed. "If it can't work, it can't work ! Don't waste your energy ! You need to conserve it for the real thing."

Jinx huffed.

"You sound like Raven sometimes. But I've got to try one more time ! Maybe I'm doing the process wrong or… or—"

"Or _maybe_ your powers don't work that well in this dimension !" Sam shouted.

Jinx stared at Sam, visibly shocked, as she didn't expect such an outburst of anger.

The African-American made a wince, inwardly blaming herself for lashing out at her poor friend who only tried her best at the moment, and she pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to gather her thoughts to apologize properly.

"Look, I'm… I'm sorry. It's just that this whole mission is making me frustrated. I'm sorry, really."

Jinx smiled softly.

"It's alright, Sam. Perhaps you're right, and it's me being a bit stubborn."

The MBC leader gave a small smile.

"Right then. I think we should at least try to walk around here or something."

Nodding, the two walked until Jinx shivered as an unpleasant feeling went down her spine. She didn't like this one bit since it felt like someone was watching them… but she could be wrong about it.

 _Jinx…_

The young sorceress stopped in her tracks.

She could've sworn she had heard a voice calling her name.

She turned around and stared in the distance with a fixed look before she resumed walking.

 _Jinx !_

This made Jinx gasp as the voice started to get louder, and again she turned around to stare with a hardened look, noticing in the process that Sam hadn't perceived anything since she just continued walking.

 _Who are you ?_ Jinx thought.

 **:(/\\):**

Danny frowned as he stared at the Titan. He gave out a sigh, rolling his eyes.

"Dude. Would you quit it ? If it doesn't work, it doesn't work."

Robin slightly turned his head to the side to give a narrow glare before he resumed his task, earning an exasperated groan from the jock.

Boy Wonder eventually shut off the communicator and got up, allowing his cape to cover him again.

"Well ?" Chris asked.

"Nothing," the Titan leader answered. "All I'm getting is static. What about you ?"

Chris shook his head.

"Nothing."

Danny glanced around at their empty environment : it was cold and dark—the usual standards of this dimension. He missed the happiness Mother Nature gave them back on Earth.

"Can we get a move on ? The quicker we find a route, the faster we get out of here. This place is depressing." the daring MBC muttered.

Robin sighed : "If only we knew in which direction we must head to…"

Nevertheless, the trio started set out, not knowing where this dimension would take them.

 **:(/\\):**

"Orattir… Please, wake up…"

A soft groan, then Orattir's eyes flickered open.

There was a relieved sigh as the alien glanced around at the strange environment.

"How do you feel ?" Starfire asked.

"As if I had slept for an eternity." the second alien princess answered.

Starfire made a small grin.

"That sentence reminded me of a tale of the fairy book that Robin had showed me. It was most beautiful—about a princess who had been cursed when she was little and how she would spend her entire life sleeping eternally once she pricked her finger on the needle..."

"Oh jinkies ! I think you're talking about Sleeping Beauty !" Cathy said excitedly. "Sam showed me that book too."

"Oh, you have read it ?" Starfire asked, delighted.

Cathy nodded, but Orattir, on the other hand, frowned.

"I do not know which you speak of, but it does sound lovely."

Star smiled.

"Oh, it will not let you down. Maybe I could lend it to you once this is all over."

Orattir grinned, nodding.

Cathy got lost in thoughts until she asked : "Uhm, does any of you two have any idea how to get out of here ?"

The two other aliens – all aliens had by chance ended up together when the teams got separated - paused as they gave a sheepish grin.

"Sorry, Cathy… not a clue." Star apologized.

It wasn't until then when Orattir suddenly got an idea.

"Wait—I could try to communicate with the others, but I need your powers to do it, Starfire !" Orattir spoke.

The Tamaranean gave a curious look, hesitating a little but nodded : "Okay…"

Orattir grabbed Star's hands, which made the red-haired shiver from the coldness, the two got into a meditating position, eyes closed, before they began to glow their respective colors : green for Starfire and bluish white for Orattir.

The latter then reopened her eyes, revealing her white glowing eyes, but the connection broke almost immediately, after only a few seconds.

Orattir hissed when a spark appeared, almost instantly withdrawing her hand.

Starfire blinked, allowing the glare of her green eyes to fade away, but her face was etched with confusion.

"What happened ?" Cathy asked with perplexity.

Orattir sighed.

"It failed. The dark magic in this realm is stronger than I had imagined. The Dark Lord of Dreams made one step ahead, once more."

Starfire felt saddened for her poor new friend.

"Do not despair. I am positive that we will get out of here."

"But how ?"

Star looked down at the ground. None of them had the answer to the question…

 **:(/\\):**

Raven ran after the sound, eyes narrowed as she stared ahead.

She had no idea who that could be, because of her powers not working for the time being—surely, it couldn't be one of her teammates. It would be almost impossible to have them randomly be teleported here—besides, she tried it out and what she got was that this dimension cancelled her powers.

Nonetheless, she continued to chase the laughter, but the strange thing was that, for some odd reason, the giggle was familiar to her.

But where and how ? She didn't know.

The giggle subdued, silence surrounding Raven once more.

She slowed down to a halt.

She knew she _**had**_ heard it—either that… or she simply imagined in ?!

 _No,_ Raven thought.

She _knew_ it wasn't fake. It had to be, because it felt _real_ in the first place.

Nevertheless, the cloaked Titan resumed her search in order to find the source of the laughter.

"Hello ? Are you still there ?" Raven called out.

 _There's literally nothing in here, in this realm, and yet I managed to lose track of that presence._

The same laughter reverberated again, gaining Raven's full attention, and as she turned around, staring ahead, there was the swish of a cape, very close to her.

Raven let out a small gasp, as she thought that something had touched her hand… but she wasn't sure since it had happened so swiftly, like a quick breeze.

As Raven continued to follow the track, this time, she didn't lose it, and soon found herself staring at the back of what looked like a white cape.

Curious, Raven extended her hand out to reach out.

"What are you… ?" Raven trailed off, only to open mouth and eyes wide as the figure slowly turned around…

 **Author's Note :** Oooh, what are you indeed ? But of course, that's for me to know and for you to find out ! Now what did Beast Boy see ? More questions arise ! And this is the part where I turn my keyboards to Dixxy—hit it, pal ! What happens next ? Find out..soon ! Toodles !

 **(Skychild101)**


	20. Visions

**Good morn-… well, aftern-… uh eveni-… ah, damn : good DAY ! ^^'**

 **Hope you guys are all doing fine, and that life's burden isn't too heavy on your shoulders… but courage, guys, courage : summer holiday is just around the (big) corner of June ! A bit more patience and you'll be having that loooong well-deserved break !**

 **As for me, still fine, despite a few hardships (couple tensions, granny's decease, issue with the principal of my children's school). I'm still "up & running", ready to battle against any obstacles and catch any curve balls existence throws at me (to use a friend's nice metaphor about life's problems).**

 **Are there any fans of Nick Cave (and the Bad Seeds) round here ? In case yes, just know that I've taken great interest in that singer/writer. And yes, you didn't misread : writer as well, as he had 2 novels published, and I'm currently reading the first one, …AND THE ASS SAW THE ANGEL : excellent, but very dark. Well, no surprise there, given the lad's dark universe. And musically speaking, I'm fond of such albums as very nice DIG, LAZARUS, DIG !, the wonderful ABATTOIR BLUES/THE LYRE OF ORPHEUS and the mesmerizing SKELETON TREE, which is a masterpiece of emotion, one of those few records I can regard as dearest to my heart and ears (the final, eponymous track of such indescribable beauty, such overwhelming emotion, such infinite delicateness).**

 **I also decided to re-read my Teen Titans stories (am currently on "8"), just as I had re-read my Monster Buster Club stories a couple of years ago, just out of nostalgia. Not out of self-esteem or pride, but to judge it** _ **a posteriori**_ **, see what could have been improved, if the story was enjoyable after all, what was the sequence of events at the time and so on… I have a strong link with the past and thus cherish nostalgia, hence the need to dive into the past every now and then, be it via memories or via various deeds.**

 **I all hope that mild weather is also there, present, at your end. Here, we can say that it's already "summer beforehand". How loveable Spring can be ! Best season of all, although autumn has a lot of charm coz of gorgeous colours everywhere, and the melancholy of fallen leaves…**

 **Ok, now, how about I shut it and work on that chappy, uh ? Right, so I'm gonna shut it now. No more words. No more writing this foreword. Nothing. Just silence. Coz you don't want me to babble on and on. So I'll be silent and write the plot. You have my word. And I will stick to it. That's for sure. Definitely. Uh ? What's that ? I should "shut the hell up now instead of continuing chatting" ? Oh… oh yes… sure… I… I hadn't noticed I had continued… sorry, really… I didn't mean to… I feel so sheepish… Uh ? "But shut the f…" ? Okay, okay, shutting it for good… right NOW !**

 **End Joy ! ;)**

 **::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

 **(NINETEEN) _ VISIONS _**

 **::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

Beast Boy was lost in a sea of memories as his wide open eyes remained glued to the car slowly sinking in the river.

 _Mum… Dad…_

He saw silhouettes inside the car… the silhouettes of the two persons he cherished the most, and that a cruel fate had taken from him in his innocent youth…

 _Please… don't leave me... again…_

And as he inwardly begged for this nightmare to end, images drifted in front of his eyes.

…

He was 3 and his mother was playing with him, and they both laughed so heartily, happy to be together in the warm caress of the sun…

 _I… I need you…_

There he was, at 5, when his father had bought him that green bicycle, his first one, and he was so excited about it, and grinned wide at his parents, repeating his thanks several times in a rushed voice, his heart overflowing with gratitude…

 _Why… WHY…?_

His seventh anniversary, with a surprise trip to Serengeti's nature reserve, in Kenya, which he had enthused so much about, him who loved animals, who was so fascinated by wildlife.

 _If only you knew… how much I miss you…_

And then… the car accident… with the vehicle plunging into water, with his sick mother unconscious after passing out from heat, due to her fever, and his father struggling to undo the fastening belt, which had got stuck…

But no matter how hard he tried, it wasn't sufficient : the car rapidly filled with water, and none of the occupants had enough time to get out…

Soon they would be dead by asphyxia… a horrible way to leave this world…

But just then, something unexpected happened, against all logic : the water of the river turned to mud, and it was now thick mud that was invading the car !

His father started gesticulating frantically as mud quickly reached their faces and was about to suffocate them, while his mother was still unconscious in her seat.

The morpher, taken aback by that sudden change, stared in horror for a few seconds, before a scream escaped his throat.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO !"

 **::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

 _Jinx…_

 _Look at me…_

The pink witch, whose pupils had got fully dilated as she focused on her surroundings to try and locate the source of those calls, now somehow sensed that somebody was observing her, and she even felt that the mysterious spy was somewhere on her left.

Her vertical pupils instantly contracted as shock overwhelmed her at the sight of the pale-skinned woman standing a short distance from her, wearing a white dress and a thin veil over her face, blurring her features.

And the woman had her arms raised, half-stretched in Jinx's direction.

"M-Mother ?!"

 _Jinx… don't call me out loud, but rather communicate with me via your mind… you don't need to voice it, just express yourself by thoughts rather than by words…_

Jinx swallowed her saliva as she gazed intensely at the woman who had given her the most precious present ever : life.

 _Jinx, my little Jinx… You must not feel sorry for me… it had to be so… there was no other way…_

 _ **But...Mother… I didn't want that ! I never wanted it to happen ! If only I had been more careful… if only I… I…**_

 _Jinx… it is not your fault, my dear… you are not responsible…_

 _ **But-**_

"Jinx ?" softly called Sam, who had stopped to give a brief panoramic look around them, to try and find out in which direction they should head, and had then turned to her friend, only to find the latter staring, very focused, on her left.

But when the somewhat bossy girl had followed the direction of the witch's gaze, she had the surprise to see… well, as a matter of fact, _nothing_ surprising ! She had scanned the area, but there was just plain landscape there, without anything out of the ordinary.

 _But what is she observing ?_

Only Jinx could tell.

But the girl was so intensely focused right now that Sam hesitated to interrupt that focus.

 _ **Mother, I… I miss you ! I miss you terribly…**_

The pink eyes started to fill, ready to pour the hot proofs of her distress.

 _I miss you too, Jinx. And I miss hugging you…_

The pink-haired teen opened her mouth to reply, but then…

…then horror clasped her heart and squeezed it horribly !

Liquid was pouring from the top of her mother's forehead, dark red liquid that slowly flowed down.

There also was some coming out of the corners of the mouth.

And as her mother slightly lowered her arms, the now terrified daughter could see the red lines on the waists, where more of the same liquid was flowing from.

 _Come hug your mother, Jinx…_

"Jinx… what's the matter ? Why are you crying ? Jinx ?!" asked Sam, now really anxious about her friend's behaviour.

A horrified silence descended upon Jinx as she gazed, with the deepest fright, at the blood rapidly covered most of her mother's face and part of her forearms, red drops continuously staining the white dress, which became always more and more red.

The poor woman was bleeding to death !

And Jinx was the powerless witness of that sight… that horrendous, horrendous sight !

"Jinx... Jinx ! Please, tell me what's going on ! JINX !" half-screamed the African-American.

 _Come hug your mother who loves you so much…_

All that blood… on the face… on the hands… on the arms… on the dress… on the ground…

Her vocal folds were paralyzed… but after long, long seconds of terror, she couldn't take it anymore !

Closing her eyes, and thus escaping from the awful sight of her mum's bloody yet still smiling face, she for once lost it and, her usual cheekiness now miles away from her, she let out a deafening cry of despair.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO !"

 **::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

Robin wasn't the type to sigh. He rarely ever did, as he was used to remain collected no matter the situation he had to face.

But as Chris, Danny and him kept walking without really knowing their destination, or rather knowing it but ignoring the way to it, he felt that they somehow were kicking their heels instead of actually progressing.

"I have the feeling that we're not really progressing…" said Chris in that moment, voicing the exact thought of the Titan leader.

"That's exactly what I was thinking right this minute !" exclaimed Boy Wonder, surprised of the coincidence.

But then again, great minds think alike, don't they, dear readers ? Either that or Raven passed part of her empathic power to Chris…

"Really ? Well I guess we're just as frustrated about our going nowhere… or at least not where we would like to !"

Robin's attention was drawn to some place behind his teammates, where he saw somehow stand in the shadows…

Danny chimed in : "Guys, I tell it to you once again : we're lost. It's no use walking if we don't know where we must go."

"That's pertinent, but if we don't move… how do we get out of here ?" remarked the freckled teenager.

The eyes of the young acrobat widened under his mask as the boy recognized the dark figure standing not that far from him, waiting mysteriously in the shadows…

The MBC hothead gave Chris's words a quick thought, opened his mouth to reply… but realizing something at the last moment, he closed it back.

"We can't get out of here if we remain sitting in the same place. We must explore this desolate land if we want to find a way out !" observed the indigo-haired boy.

"Okay, okay, but…"

But the sound of Danny's voice seemed to get always more and more remote as Robin's stare intensified, his mouth slightly opening.

There, behind the two discussing boys…

…there, in the shadow…

…there was a tall figure, standing by the cliff…

.. motionless…

…silent…

…observing him !

But although the face of the mysterious person spying him remained in total darkness, Robin could still identify him from his uniform : indeed, that long cape was familiar, and even more were the two small vertical "ears" on top of this skull.

 _That's… Bruce ?! But… what is he doing here ?! On this planet ?!_

The acrobat squinted, feeling the need to make sure that it **really** was his long-time friend and not someone resembling him. The signature uniform should have dispelled any doubt, but what made the young boy still hesitate was the incongruity of Batman's presence in this alien world, far away from Earth.

How indeed could the Dark Knight have arrived here ? By spaceship ?

And anyway, what would he be doing here ? Also help fighting the mastermind behind the dream abduction ?

Robin was about to call his mentor when the latter started walking in the direction of his "protégé".

But after a few steps, the Dark Knight abruptly stopped and slightly bent over.

He put his hand to his tummy and a moan rose in the cold air.

Robin frowned, wondering what the matter was.

But there was more.

There was _worse_.

A muffled scream replaced the moan.

Followed by another one, louder.

And another one, even louder.

"A problem, Robin ?"

The Masked Titan turned to the right and glanced at his the two alien busters to find them staring at him with a hint of worry.

"Wh-… What ? What did you say, Chris ?"

"I was asking you if there was a problem. You are so focused on that cliff that I was wondering whether you had glimpsed something dubious over there…"

The black-haired teenager felt a wave of oddness crash upon him.

"But… But you don't see him ?! You don't hear how he's suffering ?!"

A particularly loud muffled scream.

Robin's head jerked back to Batman.

"Bruce !"

Chris and Danny checked again, but all they saw was the cliff.

Nobody was there.

"Robin, we don't see -"

But the Titan leader didn't listen and, hypnotized by his ailing mentor, took two steps forward.

"Is he turning mad or what ?" whispered Danny to his teammate.

"Mmmmmh… he seems to be experiencing some hallucination… wait, I'll just approach him slowly and talk to him calmly…"

And that's when Boy Wonder saw Batman heavily collapse, falling flat on his face, this time with a perfectly audible scream (yet only Robin actually heard it).

But that was not the worst.

Because the worst, which made Robin shout on the top of his lungs (which in turn made Chris freeze in his steps as he was about to touch Robin's shoulder), was that the Dark Knight's head broke away from the neck in a gush of blood, as if severed by some invisible hand, and came rolling to the acrobat's feet.

"NOOOOOOOOOOO !"

 **::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

Raven felt her breath get stuck in her throat and her heart miss a beat, as she looked opposite at…

… herself !

Or rather at a younger version of her, maybe 7 or 8 years old, no more.

Her juvenile self stared back, a mysterious sadness haunting her violet orbs.

There was an awkward silence as the two Raven's observed each other, one of them speechless, the other melancholic.

The wind was softly blowing, gently moving their cloaks every now and then.

The teenage Raven finally felt like she should say something, but was clueless about the topic to choose, about the words to utter.

But it was clear that they couldn't remain that way for long, just gazing at one another in silence, yet when one doesn't know how to start… what to say… then communication is in a dead end.

The teenage Raven swallowed her saliva, hypnotized by her younger alter ego, and finally made up her mind about what to say. She opened her mouth…but the purple-haired child opposite her piped her at the post.

"You wonder what I'm doing here, don't you ?"

The 18-year old certainly didn't expect that.

 _How… How did she know…?_

"I know because I am you, and share your mind, your memory, your intellect, your sixth sense." replied the juvenile self. "I am you, and therefore know what you know, know what you think, know what you'll say next. You don't need to ask me anything."

They fixed their gaze on each other again, silent once more.

"So… since you know I was wondering about your presence here… what can you tell me about it ? About your presence in this place ?" asked the empath to her child version.

Her small self sighed.

"Why did you agree to become Trigon's portal ? Why did you give in, instead of fighting, even at the risk of your life ?" she half-asked half-reproached.

Raven was astonished. She certainly didn't expect such questions, and thus found herself caught off guard.

Yet, true to her emotionless reputation, she rapidly got a grip on herself and replied in the most neutral tone possible.

"I tried to avoid it. I did try, trust me, but that wasn't enough. I knew I couldn't avoid my fate. One can only struggle for so long, but if it proves useless…"

She found it strange to be talking to herself and trying to… _convince_ _herself_ ! There was something slightly schizophrenic about it…

The wind had now picked up and was blowing with more insistence, making not only their cloaks move, but also their hair, under their hoods, as it was now rushing in there.

"But you **willingly** followed Slade to the ancient library and **accepted** to become the portal, while your friends had been battling so hard to _prevent_ this. They would have given their life to protect you. And what is their reward ? See you follow Slade instead of fighting him with all you had, just like your friends did."

The tone of the child was harsh, reproachful, merciless to the teenager.

Raven couldn't believe she was actually scolded by _herself_ !

And to be honest, she didn't appreciate the reproaches she was getting.

"I didn't have a choice !" she half-screamed to the child. "Slade would have killed my friends if I hadn't accepted to go with him ! I didn't want Trigon to enter our dimension BUT I also DIDN'T want to lose the persons dearest to me !"

The little Raven was frowning hard at the bigger one, and this severity unsettled the sorceress : she was getting a hard, cold stare from no other than her child version, therefore from… herself !

"Your decision almost cost millions of lives, all that just because you only cared for _**your**_ own interest, which related to your friends. You have been really disappointing… really weak…" said the younger one, and she closed her eyes and shook her head several times, showing how pitiful she considered Raven's behaviour to save the other Titans from death.

"SHOULD I JUST LET THE PEOPLE I LOVE THE MOST DIE ?! THOSE I CONSIDER MY FAMILY ?!" yelled Raven. "THEY ARE THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY GAVE ME AFFECTION IN MY ENTIRE LIFE… WOULD IT BE NORMAL TO LEAD THEM TO THEIR DEATH BY REFUSING WHAT WAS ACTUALLY MY FATE ?!" She felt Rage's power swelling within her. "YOU THINK YOU KNOW BETTER, BUT YOU DON'T ! YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH ALL THAT : _**I**_ HAD TO, AND HADN'T MUCH OF A CHOICE ! LOVE BONDS ARE MORE POWERFUL AND STRONG THAN YOU THINK !"

She had narrowed her eyes at her young self and was gritting her teeth really hard.

The soft wind had now clearly given in and had been replaced by violent gusts that incessantly beat the cloaks and finally threw the hoods down as the rush of air dived straight into the hoods.

The child bared her teeth and a rumble escaped from her throat, which surprised the teenager, then she lowered her face to the ground…

…and when she looked back up at the Titan that she would become in the future, there no longer were two violet eyes on her face : there were four… and there were blood red !

Raven took a step back as a malevolent grimace misshaped the face of her younger version.

"How dare you raise your voice on me ?!" said a deep, demonic voice.

The sorceress felt her heart sink as she gulped, goggling at her now evil doppelganger.

"No… this is not possible… _this is not real !_ " she said, as she slowly raised her right arm, as if to protect herself.

"Oh yes, it is ! It IS !" calmly said the deep, distorted voice that reminded her so terribly of a familiar monster she alas shared blood ties with.

And that's when a horrible physical change took place : on the sides of young Raven's forehead appeared two bumps, which then started to grow, to swell, becoming gradually bigger and bigger.

The teenage witch, horror-struck, stared at that scaring phenomenon, unable to take her eyes off it, unable to get away, unable to say anything anymore.

And a frightening thought surfaced in her mind.

 _No… no, it can't be -…_

The gusts of wind were now so violent that it broke Raven's balance and threatened to throw her to the ground !

The two lumps of flesh on the tiny forehead became cracked, as something was pushing from underneath… pushing to get out…

"You think it can't be, Raven ?" asked the demonic voice of the younger empath. "And yet… yet…"

 _No no no ! Please NO !_

The Goth, still mute out of fear, felt her level of dread about to reach alarming heights, as she saw something burst out from the two bumps, sending blood everywhere.

"… and yet, it actually **IS SO** !" screamed the devilish child, as two white antlers covered in blood now adorned her forehead.

The very same antlers that a certain demon lord had on his own forehead.

"THE REIGN OF TRIGON THE TERRIBLE WILL COME !" bellowed the now horrible child, her face a mask of pure hatred.

And this time, the vocal folds of Raven, previously "frozen", produced that scream she had been unable to let out before, because of fear paralyzing her :

"NOOOOOOOOOOO !"

 **::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

The trio of aliens stopped.

There was a brief silence, before the third alien – and second alien princess – voiced their common concern.

"Is it just me or is the fog getting thicker and thicker ?"

"It's not just you : I have the same impression !" replied the Rhapsodian.

"And I also have the same !" confirmed the Tamaranean.

Orattir's eyes narrowed at the white ethereal substance that kept on gathering around them.

"That can't be good… What's the matter with all that fog ?" she wondered.

"Mmmmmmh… could it be some trap ?" proposed Cathy.

"I think it could, yes… Like someone has a control over the meteorological elements, and just augmented the mass of fog. It sounds feasible, actually…" reacted the green female.

The fog had accumulated so much that they started having slight difficulties to make out their own bodies as they looked at each other.

"So… what do we do, Friends ? Do we continue to walk in the fog or do we stay here until we can see better again ?" asked a perplexed Starfire.

Silence.

The white mass threatened to swallow them all in its immense vaporous mouth.

"I think we shou-"

But the end of Orattir's sentence never came, blocked away by the sudden rush of the fog, briskly burying them completely inside its white womb.

Inside its white _womb_.

Cathy squinted her eyes…

...and then she saw…

"G-…Grandpa ?"

Because of the fog, the silhouette was somewhat blurry, but not _that_ much, and the young Rhapsodian could still identify the person opposite as her dear grandfather.

"What are you doing here ?"

No reply.

He simply stood there, motionless, staring at her.

Cathy, who had first been surprised, began to feel uneasy.

It wasn't like her grandpa not to answer.

On the contrary, he always had a nice word for her when he saw here, and he certainly would have answered her when being addressed by her.

But in this case, strangely enough…

"Grandpa…?"

Silence again.

What Cathy hadn't noticed, because of her intense focus on Hugo Smith, is that while she spoke aloud, none of her two friends, who were nearby, somewhere in the fog, asked her who she was talking to. And yet, because they weren't that far from her, they probably had heard her talk and should logically have asked her why she called her 'grandpa', all of a sudden.

And yet, curiously enough, they didn't react.

Didn't say anything.

As if they didn't care or if they… were not there anymore.

That sounded absurd, and yet…

…yet…

"Grandpa, why don't you say anything ?" the young Rhapsodian asked, feeling her anxiety level significantly rise because of her relative's unusual mutism.

He took two steps in her direction, raised his arm, pointed his finger in her direction, slowly opened his mouth…

…and a horrible, strident sound came out of it !

Something that belonged to some monster, not to a human being or even a human-looking alien.

Cathy immediately put her hands over her ears and shut her eyes, screaming on top of her lungs :

"NOOOOOOOOOOO !"

 **::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

"BB ! WAKE UP ! EEEHOOO !"

At last, the shapeshifter blinked and got aware of his friend's shouts.

He briskly turned his head at him.

"C-Cyborg ?!"

"Yeah Man ! Cyborg ! Jeez, finally you snap out of it…! Been calling you several times, louder and louder, and had to yell my lungs out to get you back for good !"

"Really ? I didn't react when you called me ?"

"No, Man. Just like I tell you. Must have been something hypnotizing, what you were looking at. What was it ?"

The morpher turned his head at the scene he was staring at as he started answering :

"I was loo-"

But he almost immediately interrupted his sentence, as he had just noticed that the car and river were gone, and that in their place was only the thick fog that surrounded them all this time.

"But… But it was THERE ! I SAW IT ! My parents' car, sinking into water… and then into mud ! Where… Where is it now ?!"

After glancing around for the third time, and still finding nothing, the TTech replied :

"You must have had an hallucination, B ! You are certainly tired and -"

"I swear I SAW IT !"

"Hey, I didn't say you didn't see it, B, but since there is nothing there now, it means it was not real, what you saw. So, a hallucination of some sort."

Beast Boy felt bitter about the whole thing, and still affected by the demise of his parents – even if he now knew it had been some kind of mirage.

"Yeah… I guess you're right… but still… it… it felt so real…" reluctantly answered the green boy, his face giving away sadness as well as distress.

"Look, Mate, I know you are certain you spotted it, but that's precisely the thing with hallucinations : they are **so** real that we think it's reality !"

And Cyborg put his large hand on the changeling's small shoulder.

"Yeah, I know it's true : it was all an illusion…"

And that's when the fog started to lift…

 **::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

Jinx blinked and turned to Sam, who then stopped screaming her name.

"Finally you heard me !" the MBC leader said in a sigh.

"Finally ? Wait… I didn't hear you calling me until now ?!" asked the Pink Witch.

"No, you did not. You simply kept staring over there and didn't move."

As she uttered the words "over there", Samantha pointed to a certain location, and Jinx's eyes naturally followed.

The spot was empty.

Her mother was gone.

"But…my mother… she was just there… in a white dress… calling for me…"

Her distressed look flew from the empty place to Sam and back.

"And then she started to bleed… from the forehead… the mouth… the hands… so much blood…"

The African-American walked to the grey-skinned teen and put her hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay, Jinx. It was a hallucination."

The hex caster swallowed her saliva.

"But it seemed so… so real… I could have sworn she was just there…"

"I know, Jinx, I know. But some hallucinations are so realistic that you may think they ARE reality."

The witch started filling up, which surprised her friend.

"Hey, hey, hey, Jinx ! Please don't cry ! It's over now ! It was like a bad dream, but it's over !"

"I loved her… so much… Sam. My mother… my mother was… everything to me. I didn't… have the chance to… to know my father… as he died before… before I saw the light of day…so my mum was… she was like… the center of the world to me. And she… she was so nice… so caring… so tender… you have no idea…" the pink-haired girl explained through her sobs.

Sam did the only thing she deemed appropriate, given the state of distress her teammate was in : she wrapped her arms around her and hugged her gently, rocking her slowly, whispering words of comfort in her ears.

Jinx held on tightly, crying against her friend, and it was such unwonted to see the usually cheeky sorceress shed tears. She was rarely sad, and when she ever was, she almost never wept.

But her mother… that was a totally different story. It actually was one of the only topics who _could_ make her cry.

"Thank you… Sam… Thank you… for comforting me…" whispered the former criminal once she had regained some control over herself.

"Hey, it's okay, really. That's what friends are for, right ? Helping at their best."

"You are a true friend, Sam !"

"I can say the same about you, Jinx !"

They finally parted and the usually sassy teen dried up her eyes.

"You know, I never saw you cry and, given your temperament, I hadn't suspected that you actually could… You're so dynamic and quick off the mark, using irony and showing self-confidence, that I didn't think I would see you shed tears one day…" confessed the golden-eyed female.

"Oh, I know, right ? I'm one of those strong, tough persons who seem capable to endure anything and always wriggle out of problems, like Raven, Robin… or you ! But everyone has his or her own weaknesses, in the end, and my mother remains a sensitive topic. So, when I saw her before… and with all that blood pouring from her…"

She felt a shiver run down her back and swallowed her saliva, feeling vaguely dizzy.

"Will you… be alright, Jinx ?" asked a concerned Sam, who had noticed her brief feebleness.

The sorceress nodded vigorously.

"Yes. Don't worry for me. I'll be okay. I feel better now, knowing it was all an illusion…"

And that's when the fog started to lift…

 **::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

The young acrobat briskly regained focus as he was being shaken by someone yelling his name.

Having "escaped" from his kind of hypnosis, he turned to look at the one who had managed to break the spell and bring him back into reality's realm, and as he did so, he heard another voice nearby : "Look, Danny, you can stop : he is back with us !"

It was Chris speaking, on his left, and Danny, on his right, removed his hands from Robin's shoulders.

"Man, I think I have never shaken anybody that much ! I wouldn't have done it more to get a ripe pear from the pear tree !" said the red MBC member on a joking tone.

Robin blinked, puzzled by those words.

"What ?!" he asked.

Danny cleared his throat.

"Well, all I was saying is that I had to shake you for a while before you came back to us. The pear tree thing was just a meta-… a meta-… uh…"

"A metaphor." completed his geeky friend, who was the most learned of their team along with Sam.

"Yeah, a metaphor, exactly !" confirmed the scarred boy, shaking his raised forefinger once in direction of his buddy.

The masked teenager wasn't really paying attention at the moment, his eyes searching the space in front of him.

"Robin ?" cautiously asked Chris.

"Where is Batman ?" was the reply he got, a question-reply as a matter of fact.

This caught the duo of MBC fighters by surprise.

"Uh… what ?!" asked the spike-haired boy, half-surprised half-amused, thinking it could be some joke.

But Boy Wonder didn't look like he was joking. Even far from it.

"Batman… I saw him here…right here !" He was pointing to a spot a few feet ahead of him. "And he… _he died !_ Right before my eyes !"

The last part was uttered louder, like the masked hero was about to scream it out. In fact… there was some kind of urgency, if not of frenzy, in his voice.

Danny's right eyebrow rose out of disbelief.

"Are you serious, Man ?!"

"Of course he is ! He obviously is ! Does he look like he is joking ?" somewhat scolded the freckled genius by his side.

Upset replace puzzlement inside Robin's mind.

"Look, I know what you're thinking. But no, I'm not mad ! I swear to God I did see Batman right there, opposite. He came to me, then appeared to suffer at the level of his abdomen – stomach ache or something else, I don't know. He was bent in two from the pain and couldn't utter a single word. Then he got closer and fell. And when he crashed to the ground, his head…"

He couldn't finish the sentence, because of the lump in his throat.

 _Oh, Bruce… Bruce… I can't believe it… you cannot be "gone"…_

Chris and Danny exchanged concerned looks, the second one no longer questioning Robin's sincerity about what he saw. It was obvious he had seen it.

But since they hadn't… it couldn't be real.

Or could it ?

"…his head got severed from his body !" finished the Titan leader on the darkest tone, struggling to stifle tears. He was not one to cry, and would certainly not start today.

Chris laid his hand on the acrobat's shoulder.

"We believe you, Robin. You cannot be making up such a story, not the way you describe it and how it moves you deep inside. But the thing is that… well… we didn't see any of this. We saw you stare in this direction, yes, yet didn't spot anything over there. There wasn't anybody, all the time you kept gazing and talking to Batman. So we didn't see what you see. And to me, this can mean only one thing…"

A brief silence, and…

"It wasn't real, Robin. It was an illusion. I don't know if it's that strange fog that caused it, that fog which suddenly invaded the place, but the hallucination may have been the product of it."

Robin didn't say anything at first and merely kept staring at the spot in which he had initially seen Batman…

…or at least _believed_ he had seen Batman.

"It seemed so real… so terribly real…" he muttered, more to himself than to his two interlocutors.

"I'm sure it was, given the way you talked about it… but it had to be some hallucination, since we didn't see Batman. There was nobody there. And as I told you, I wonder whether it was induced by that weird fog, since things were normal before it turned up…" explained the young tech.

"If I catch the bastard who sent us that fog giving us hallucinations, I swear I'll make him regret to mess around with us !" threatened Danny, shaking his fist in the air to back his words.

Robin was thoughtful for a moment, but since he had no better or more logical explanation about the whole issue, he decided to go for that one.

"Okay, you are probably right. It must have been all an illusion…"

And that's when the fog started to lift…

 **::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

The sorceress slowly opened her eyes.

The sky had turned way dark, but one could still make out the surroundings.

And there was another change in the atmosphere : the wind had now vanished.

It used to blow with always more and more violence when Raven was confronting her evil young self, turning from breeze to tempest… and now, quite unexpectedly, there wasn't even the slightest movement of air around her.

After realizing about these immediately perceptible phenomena – light decrease (due to the now overcast sky) and wind disappearance - , Raven rose from the ground and gave a panoramic look around her.

She was on her own.

 _But she… she_ _ **was**_ _there ! I clearly remember seeing her over there !_

And as she thought this, her eyes indeed were staring "over there", a spot in front of her where the white-cloaked child used to stand… and which was currently deserted.

The empath decided to use her extra-sensory powers to probe the surroundings and thus find out if the juvenile version of herself could be hiding somewhere, or if she had gone for good.

She therefore closed her eyes and focused her powers on the area surrounding her.

Seconds passed.

And when Raven reopened her eyes, she knew with absolute certainty that she was now alone in this mysterious place, alone with fog… and silence.

 _But I could swear that she was here with me… I remember all the details : her cloak, her face, her voice, her words… and her terrible change !_

The stoic teen was the least impressionable of the Titans, and actually of both teams, yet when she recalled said terrible change in her younger self, with the demonic voice, the four crimson eyes and especially the antlers bursting from the forehead in an impressive gush of blood, she couldn't help shivering.

It was actually a combination of dread and revulsion that she felt at the horrible recollection.

Given these negative emotions, she was relieved that her malevolent young doppelgänger had disappeared, but a certain part of her was still more puzzled than relieved at the moment, because there was a veil of uncertainty over the events that had taken place between teen Raven and child Raven.

 _Although her absence seems to indicate it was all a dream – or rather, a_ _ **nightmare**_ _\- , it's still difficult to accept it. It seemed so real… I never had a dream that was as realistic, that it appeared as reality itself and not a simple illusion of sleep. I should be able to accept it, and yet…_

But then she remembered what they were here for : put an end to the evil reign of a dark mastermind stealing dreams from innocents.

And this parallel universe being his realm, it was all too logical that it would induce dreaming, produce hallucinations, trigger false impressions.

 _Perhaps that's the goal of our enemy : create visions horrible enough for us to either get insane or renounce, because of our dread. But it won't work. I must be strong and accept the truth. And the truth is that…_

"I know none of it was real. _Seemed_ to be… yet **wasn't**." she said aloud, as if to demonstrate to some hidden presence that she was stronger than she appeared. "It was all a creation of some unknown origin. Just a smoke screen, no matter how realistic it appeared at first. It was all an illusion !"

And that's when the fog started to lift…

 **::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

Cathy blinked.

She had just heard a scream.

And wasn't it her _name_ that had been screamed, somewhere deep in the fog… ?

She pricked up her ears, and got confirmation of her good hearing :

"CATHY ! CAN YOU HEAR US ?!"

This was Starfire.

"CATHY ! WHAT'S THE MATTER ?"

And that, Orattir.

"What…" she started in a normal tone, then realized that she would have to scream as well, given that the fog was still there, and she couldn't make out where her friends were. "WHAT HAPPENED ? WHY ARE YOU SCREAMING ?"

"WE ARE SCREAMING BECAUSE YOU WERE SCREAMING !" yelled the Tamaranean.

Her voice was coming from a certain distance, which surprised the pink MBC member : they all were close to each other in the stone cell where they had freed Orattir, and also had been close only a little while ago…so how come they suddenly were so far apart ?!

"WHAT STARFIRE MEANS IS THAT WE HEARD YOU SCREAM 'GRANDA', SO WE WONDERED WHAT WAS WRONG. WE STARTED CALLING YOU, BUT YOU DIDN'T REPLY AND SCREAMED THAT NAME ONCE MORE. SO WE HAD TO SHOUT AS WELL, SEVERAL TIMES ! AND YOU FINALLY HEARD US AND REPLIED ! BUT WHAT HAPPENED ?" clarified the green alien.

 _Grandpa…_

The word immediately made her recall about her grandfather producing an extremely loud sound, that resembled nothing she had ever heard, and certainly didn't belong to a human… or even to some humanoid alien !

It had been the shriek of a monster.

But a monster that temporarily hid his disgusting aspect under the skin of a human-looking creature.

The Rhapsodian's blue eyes were staring ahead, where she had seen the deceptive being.

 _It wasn't Grandpa !_

She was sure of that.

It was someone – or _something_ – who had assumed his shape to approach her and…

…and why exactly had he screamed while pointing at her ?

"CATHY ? ARE YOU ALRIGHT ?"

Starfire again.

The stretchable girl had hoped that both of her friends would get closer to her, as they walked through the fog, but the voice of the red-haired girl was still as distant as before.

"YES, I'M ALRIGHT. I THOUGHT I SAW GRANDPA BEFORE, BUT IT WASN'T HIM ! HE LOOKED LIKE HIM, BUT IT WAS SOME KIND OF MONSTER… BUT WHERE ARE YOU BOTH ? YOU SEEM SO FAR FROM ME !"

Cathy waited but no reply came.

"STARFIRE ?"

Silence.

"ORATTIR ?"

Nothing.

"CAN YOU HEAR ME ? WHAT'S THE MATTER ?"

No sound but the wind. **(A/N : This is a personal wink to British band Editors, who released a B-side called NO SOUND BUT THE WIND… beautiful song, very moving… check it out on YT !)**

"PLEASE, ANSWER ME…"

But answer, there was not.

She called twice more… but to no avail. It was as if her two friends had vanished away…

The usually bubbly girl collapsed and started weeping, something she never did. But her being stranded in that sea of fog and having lost track of her teammates was too much for her.

"It can't be real. It just can't. It has to be an illusion. It MUST be an illusion !"

And that's when the fog started to lift…

 **::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

Motionless bodies scattered inside a stone room.

Silence.

And finally, two eyes opening.

A body sitting up, eyes looking all around.

"What… What happened here ?" wondered the pink-haired witch, spotting all her unconscious friends lying all around in the room.

She caught sight of the blue cloak by her side and stretched her arm, intending to shake her fellow sorceress, to wake her up.

But by some welcome coincidence, that's precisely when Raven briefly moaned, and hearing this, the bad luck charm stopped her gesture and watched the other grey-skinned female expectantly.

Soon was the Goth back up, returning Jinx's gaze.

"What happened, Rae ? Why did we all fall asleep… or get unconscious ?" asked the former baddie.

"I'm not sure… but all I recall is seeing a younger version of me, who transformed into a demonic creature similar to Trigon. I remember waking up and realizing I was all alone, which brought me to the conclusion that it was a dream… or some illusion."

"You… you also were victim of an illusion ? Because as for me, I saw my mother bleed to death, but it turned out that it was not real : Sam shook me out of it and, of course, my mother wasn't there at all."

Raven pondered this while other teammates began moving.

"So we've both been victims of illusions or experienced a dream… or rather, _nightmare_. Mmmmh… perhaps the others have as well ? We have to ask them." she proposed.

"Hey, what the hell happened ?" asked Danny.

The sorceresses turned to him, and noticed that Robin had also sat up.

"I've had a nightmare about Batman", said Boy Wonder.

"Jinx had a vision about her mother" said another voice, on the other side of the room.

It was Sam, who also had just woken up and yet already looked pretty alert, not drowsy at all.

"A nightmare… a vision… very strange…" muttered Robin.

"Actually, BB also had a vision… or a nightmare about his parents drowning !" said a new voice.

They all turned to stare at Cyborg, who was leaning on his left arm and was about to sit up.

"But what's happening in here ?!" asked Jinx, to no one in particular.

"Dark magic… it's the evil mastermind perturbing us, unsettling us with nightmarish visions of our loved ones…" explained Raven.

There was a silence as the info sank into their minds and triggered some new thoughts.

Danny, Chris and Beast Boy were now also coming back from the realm of sleep and asking about what had happened or, for the morpher, describing the horrible scene witnessed in his sleep.

Sam had risen from the floor and was turning to look around her…

…and she soon noticed something abnormal.

She frowned and quickly took another panoramic look.

The frown intensified and her eyes narrowed.

"Where is Cathy ?"

Raven had been watching Sam and had also scanned the room right after her, while their friends were getting up… and noticed another odd thing.

"And where is Starfire ?" she asked shortly after Sam.

Robin quickly inspected the room as well, and he added a third question :

"And what about Orattir ?"

All the others turned around to look at the various members of their two teams, and were soon forced to admit the worrying fact : three of their teammates had indeed vanished, and nobody had even the slightest idea about where, when and how that had happened…..

 **::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

 **And… CUT ! (At LONG last !)**

 **Okay, I honestly cannot recall on what date I had started this chapter, but can tell you that it is September 4** **th** **2017 as I type this. Not even sure I can publish this today, in fact probably not, since I still have to re-read and correct the whole chapter before uploading the Word doc, but I guess that chappy should still be up this week.**

 **Before we say each other goodbye for a while, I would like to pay homage to Radiohead, one of my fav' bands and, according to critics and fans worldwide, one the best in the world since 1997. So thanxxxx a lot Radiohead for all your wonderful, innovative, demanding music, and hopefully you'll continue spoiling us with great albums for still another decade or more. And Big Up to all Radiohead fans round here !**

 **Alright, that was it. More than 7'000 words, 25 pages, time to put the final dot. Dear Ana, time to grab your keyboard and continue the adventure.**

 **(UPDATE : Now September 6** **th** **as I just finish correcting the Word doc, so this chappy will be up today ! AT LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAST !)**

 **Peace, Love, Ecstasy !**

 **(Dixxy)**


	21. Nightmares are Really Bad Dreams

**Author's Note:** I PROMISE I'M NOT DEAD ! I've just been busy with life and stuff. You know how it is. But… HAPPY NEW YEAR ! HOPE YOU GUYS HAD A FANTASTIC 2017 AND HOPE THAT 2018 MAY BE EVEN MORE AWESOME ! ON WITH THE STORY !

 **(Twenty) Nightmares are Really Bad Dreams**

The group resumed walking, each of them wearing a confused look but shrugging off eventually.

Cyborg was doing some calculations on his computer arm, in hopes of discovering some kind of alternate route to reach the villain's lair… but no such luck, alas.

"Man, how hard is it to reach that damn place !?" he suddenly shouted after a moment of frustrated silence.

Raven rolled her eyes at the sudden outburst.

"It's a villain with a twisted mind. Did you really think that he would let you find another route so easily ? Of course he wouldn't. Even if you did, there would be traps and enchantments of sorts, which would make it almost impossible to enter."

He sneered.

"You really know how to boost confidence, don't you ?"

Raven simply shrugged.

"I'm only saying it like it is. I suppose I could have sugar-coated it…"

Cyborg sighed and deactivated his computer. He supposed he didn't mean to give out such a wingding… but all of this was really getting to him ! He just wanted to go home and play video games so that he could humiliate the green butt when he would win.

He made a disgruntled sound as he walked on.

Robin shook his head as he voiced out Cyborg's thoughts (as though the Titan leader knew exactly what his robotic mate was thinking) :

"We're all frustrated and tired, Cy, yet we can't give up now. We've come too close. But I assure you that once we reach the Dream Lord, you can have all of your frustrations taken out on him !"

"Yeah, and I promise that I won't gloat when I kick his butt to the next century !" Beast Boy proclaimed as he smacked his fist into his hand.

Cyborg snorted as he slid next to him, placing an arm around his shoulder.

"Yeah right ! You can't even land a single punch on him, let alone beat him. Besides, sending people to the next century is more Raven's thing, with her voodoo stuff..."

Raven scowled, giving a small growl.

"Do you want me to have you as my first Guinea pig ?!" she emotionlessly asked.

The muscular teen sweat-dropped, raising his hands in surrendering mode.

"I…I'm only joking, Rae !"

Jinx chuckled at their antics as she placed her hands behind her neck.

Beast Boy noticed Jinx walking by and called out to her.

"You've been quiet…" Beast Boy pointed out.

Jinx shrugged.

"Eh, there's really nothing much to say, in all honesty. But now that you mention it, I suppose I could say I'm just enjoying the view."

Beast Boy turned to where Jinx was staring, only to find that the environment was filled with… nothing but empty darkness !

And a sinister feel...

Howling wind could be heard in the distance…

Beast Boy gave an uneasy glance as he shivered.

"Right…" he muttered, avoiding the area.

Raven sighed.

"Anyway, we should get going. The more we linger around here, the more of a trap we could be in."

Robin nodded.

"Raven's right. We should go further in."

And with that definitive statement, the group headed forward.

It was a silent walk as each of them was lost in their own thoughts.

Cyborg frowned as he squinted his eyes, placing his hand on the side of his head. Something has been bothering him. He didn't know what it was, but it sounded like a high-pitch noise had been ringing in his head.

"Alright. Am I the only one who's hearing that high-pitch sound ?" Cyborg asked after a while, and to no one in particular.

Everyone stopped walking and, after giving it a listen, ended up shaking their heads.

Furrowing his eyebrows, Beast Boy morphed into a wolf and, after keeping his ears raised for a moment, he transformed back to human and shook his head.

"Sorry, Cy. I got nothing. Maybe it's your imagination…" Beast Boy suggested. "It could be from the lack of sleep."

Robin stared hard at the ground as though he was trying to break it with just a simple stare.

"If anything else comes up, let us know immediately ! We've got to be more careful !" he concluded.

Jinx nodded as she placed a hand on her hip.

"Yeah, but I'm sure it's a trick from the Dream Lord, so ignore it like always."

"It's kind of hard to when you know you're gonna hear it inside your head !" Cyborg replied, clearly annoyed.

"I'm not picking up any signal on our device." Chris stated, before adding : "Sorry, Cy."

The group resumed walking, with a few of them (especially Raven and Robin) suddenly realizing how it was… a bit too quiet, now. So far, there had been no attacks, no sneaky things that would take them by surprise (with the exception of Cyborg experiencing that odd sound inside his head).

So what could the enemy be planning ? Perhaps some great attack that the group wouldn't expect… and not having any clue about it kind of unnerved them. Both the Dark Titan and Boy Wonder were almost sure that the enemy might well attack now… now that they were semi-vulnerable.

"…so that's what I was saying… Raven ! Robin ! Snap out of it !" Danny exclaimed.

Both of the Titans got wide-eyed as their names got called out. They both gave blank stares then quickly blinked.

"I'm sorry… What did you say ?" Robin asked.

The red MBC member was about to open his mouth but Raven reacted faster.

"He was saying that we should take a rest." she summarized.

Danny stared at her, dumbfounded.

"How'd you—" he started, but having anticipated his question, she cut him to reply :

"Read your mind."

The spiked-haired boy goggled as he thought he had felt a small pull into his mind. He shuddered at the unwelcoming presence inside his head.

"Don't do that again." Danny mumbled, somewhat threateningly.

The empathy smirked as she relished Danny's discomfort.

The Titan leader pursed his lips at the prospect of resting even just for a bit. They could be losing precious time just by stopping for a while, when they could be out there, heading towards the disturbing lair.

"I don't know…" Robin muttered at last.

A hand was placed on his shoulder.

The Titan leader slightly turned his head to the side, only to see a metal arm.

"We've been walking aimlessly for endless hours and so far nothing has come up." Cy remarked. "Except for that odd ringing sound I had heard, but which seems to have stopped. We could use a little rest, Robin."

The addressee bit his lip before sighing, defeated.

"Alright. You have your fair view. I guess we could relax a bit."

"Finally !" Beast Boy and Danny both exclaimed at the same time.

Beast Boy changed into a small dog, curled up on the ground and almost immediately began drifting to sleep.

They all agreed to take turns in guarding. Even though most of them used this time to sleep, some did not, such as Raven, who meditated instead.

However, as minutes passed by, Cyborg kept turning from one side to the other, and ended up shooting his eyes wide open, an unpleased look on.

Groaning, the half-human Titan pushed himself up, muttering in anger as he stared into the distance.

There was that same high-pitch tone ringing in his head; it was almost ear-shattering. It sounded like a whistle but he wasn't sure.

 _I know I am not crazy._

Getting up, Cyborg proceeded to walk further, but unbeknownst to him, Raven opened one of her eyes and observed her fellow teammate.

Concern first flashed over her face, before her gaze hardened. She felt like she should follow him but it then occurred to her that he probably just needed to "take everything off his shoulder". And maybe that's what he was doing.

Biting her lip, Raven closed her eyes and took a deep breath before letting it out and she was soon sneaking into the mind of her robotic friend.

Yet she soon met some kind of "psychic wall", or mind resistance, followed by a kind of mental whisper :

 _Don't bother, Rae. I know what you're doing. I'll be fine._

It was Cyborg's voice.

The empath frowned in her concentration, and focused on a reply :

 _Are you sure ? You just woke up feeling extremely unpleasant._

The inward answer came without delay :

 _Sorry about that. But I just needed some um… 'extra' air, you know… to get it all out of my chest. I'll be okay._

Raven sighed and concluded :

 _Fine._

And then the connection broke off, allowing Raven to return to her mediation.

 **:(/\\):**

 _Raven… ? Rae ?_

Cyborg sighed.

She must have broken the connection when she said ' _Fine_ ' and that was it. He knew he shouldn't have disregarded her like that since he supposed he could've used her help. But since none of them seemed to believe in him, he felt like this was something he should do by himself.

"Alright, you lousy runt. I'm gonna make you show up even if you don't want to…" he muttered as he made his arm computer appear.

He began to click away until a blank screen with small blue dots followed by lines appeared. With this gadget, he was sure he could capture the invisible sound.

He paused.

Maybe he should've brought Chris with him… After all, he was half as good as he was, but Cyborg still considered himself the best tech.

He started to walk almost randomly in order to capture that signal, but the further he walked, the louder the sound got… to the point it was really becoming unbearable !

"Enough !" Cyborg shouted as he placed both hands over his ears and fell to his knees.

As though Cyborg had some power over it, the noise stopped, leaving the large teen panting from the effort.

As he was breathing, on the small frame of the computer screen, a wave started to go up and down.

After a minute, he noticed that wave moving on the tiny screen.

His eyes narrowed.

 _I knew it would show up..._

But as he turned around, he saw something that made him gasp… then scream !

Raven opened her eyes, panting heavily.

There was a disturbing connection… and then it was gone.

"Cyborg, come in ! Cyborg, come in !"

She turned to the side and caught sight of Robin, who was repeatedly talking in his Titans communicator.

"Dude, stop repeating yourself. If he wasn't missing, he would've responded by now." Beast Boy remarked.

Robin shook his head.

"But it isn't like him to randomly disappear !"

Raven frowned.

"What happened?"

Boy Wonder turned to the Dark Titan, but someone else gave her the information.

"Apparently, Cyborg went on a trip then suddenly went missing…" Jinx answered.

The changeling narrowed his eyes at the sudden slightly humorous tone.

"It's not funny, Jinx !" the green one snapped. "What if something bad happened to him while he was gone?"

"Chill out, green bean. I wasn't joking in the first place." the pink-haired one sneered.

"Hmph. It didn't sound like it."

Chris pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Alright, that's enough. Cyborg still has less than 24 hours to be considered officially missing. If he doesn't show up till then... we can be safe to assume that's he's gone."

A disturbing silence fell upon them.

Danny sighed.

"Man, there's gotta be some way to make sure that we stick together and don't get vulnerable !" He paused, before his eyes met those of the cloaked girl. "Hey Raven, since you can read people's mind, can't you track him down ?"

She shook her head.

"I can't. The last time I tried, I met a mental barrier that prevented me to do so."

"Well maybe that 'wall' is gone now and you can track him down…" Beast Boy suggested.

Raven gave a look at the frustrated changeling. He was getting irritated at the fact that they apparently couldn't do anything to find his buddy.

She sighed.

"Fine. I'll try. But I cannot promise you that I will succeed."

While Raven was disconnected from reality, focusing her magical energy on Cyborg's mind, the group started to discuss about another topic.

"We need to find a way to end this now !" Jinx growled.

The others could tell that she was itching for fight.

"Obviously, we can't do that…" Beast Boy muttered.

As Chris was talking about how they needed a plan, Robin turned to the side and observed the calmness on Raven's face.

"...and then we attack him." Chris finished.

"No." Robin suddenly said, and everyone turned to face him. "We're not just gonna go in there upfront. The Dream Lord will expect us and he's picking us one at a time to make us vulnerable. No. What we need is the element of surprise…"

 **Author's Note :** Oooooh ! Robin, what are you up to ? And what happened to Cyborg ? Will they find him ? And this chapter got done during my vacation in Mexico. ^^ I was just in my hotel relaxing, but I got it done ! I was going to finish this before I left for my trip, yet I didn't want to rush it and make it sloppy. What happens next ? Find out when Dixxy takes over ! Toodles !


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